
Class 

Book 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



LETTERS ON OCCULT MEDITATION 



Copyright 1922 

by 
Alice A. Bailey 



Letters 



on 

Occult Meditation 

Received and edited 

by 

Alice A. Bailey 

Author of 

"Initiation, Human and Solar" 
"The Consciousness of the Atom" 

First Edition 

Lucifer Publishing Co. 

135 Broadway, 
New York City 







OCT -4 "22 



C1A686042 



^vO 



DEDICATED 
TO 

THE TIBETAN TEACHER 

WHO 

WROTE THESE LETTERS 

AND 

AUTHORIZED THEIR PUBLICATION 



FOREWORD 

The following letters were received during the period 
included within the dates, May 16th, 1920, and October 
20th, 1920, with the exception of the three letters which 
were received in 1919. With the consent of their author 
they have been gathered together for publication. 

They are published in full as received, with the excep- 
tion of certain parts which have a purely personal appli- 
cation, those having reference to a certain occult school, 
and those of a prophetic or esoteric nature, which may not 
now be communicated. 

It is hoped that those who read these letters will en- 
deavor to do two things : — 

1. Read always with an open mind, remembering 
that the Truth is a many sided diamond, and that its 
different aspects will appear at different times, as Those 
Who guide the race see a need which must be met. Many 
books on Meditation have been written, some too abstruse 
and some too superficial to satisfy the average educated 
man. The writer of these letters has apparently attempted 
to supply the need of a brief yet scientific exposition of a 
rationale of Meditation, emphasizing the goal immediately 
ahead and the intermediate stages. 

2. Judge of the letters on their merits and not upon 
claims put forth on behalf of the writer. For this reason 
he has chosen to preserve his anonymity and has requested 
the recipient of the letters to publish them under his 
pseudonym. 

If the subject matter of the letters is of value it will 
call forth a response from the readers and serve to help 
some onward towards the goal, and prove to many the 
inspiration and aid it already has to a few. 

Alice A. Bailey. 
New York, 1922. 



The making public of that which purports to be of a 
profoundly occult nature carries with it great responsi- 
bilities, both as regards the correctness of the imparted 
teachings and the various effects which inevitably result 
from its publication. It is with full recognition of the 
gravity of such an action that the undersigned assume 
the privilege and responsibilit}^ of publishing the series of 
occult books now and hereafter issued by Mrs. Bailey. 

Foster Bailey. 

Ernest S. Suffern. 
New York, 1922. 



SYNOPSIS OF "LETTERS ON OCCULT 
MEDITATION" 

Letter I. 

The Aligning of the Ego ivith the Personality. 
Letter II. 

The Importance of Meditation. 

1 — It produces egoic contact and aligns the three 

lower vehicles. 
2 — It brings about a state of equilibrium. 
3 — It stabilises vibration. 
4 — It produces transference of polarisation. 

Letter III. 

Points Considered when Assigning Occult Meditation : 
1— The Ray of the Ego. 
2 — The Ray of the Personality. 
3 — The karmic condition of the three-fold man. 
4 — The condition of the Causal Body. 
5 — The cyclic need and the man's availability. 
6 — The inner and outer groups to which the man 
is affiliated. 

Letter IV. 

The Use of the Sacred Word in Meditation. 

1 — The Creative effect of the Sacred Word. 
2 — The Destructive effect of the Sacred Word. 
3 — Pronunciation and use of the Sacred Word. 
4 — Effect of the Sacred Word on the Centres and 
on each of the lower bodies. 



Letter V. 

The Dangers to be Avoided in Meditation. 
1 — Dangers inherent in the Personality. 
2 — Dangers arising from Karma. 
3 — Dangers arising from subtle forces. 

Letter VI. 

The Use of Form in Meditation. 

1 — The Use of Form in raising the Consciousness. 
2 — The Use of Form by the mystic and the Oc- 
cultist. 
3 — Specific Forms. 
4 — The Use of Form collectively. 

Letter VII. 

The Use of Colour and Sound. 

1 — Enumeration of the Colours and some com- 
ments. 
2 — Colours and the Law of Correspondences. 
3 — Effects of Colours. 
4 — Application of Colours and their future use. 

Letter VIII. 

Access to the Masters via Meditation. 
1 — Who are the Masters? 
2 — What Access to the Masters entails. 

a — From the standpoint of the Pupil, 
b — From the standpoint of the Master. 
3 — Method of approach through Meditation. 
4 — Effect of this access on the three planes. 



Letter IX. 



Future Schools of Meditation. 

1 — The One Fundamental School. 

2 — Its National Subdivisions. 

3 — The Location, Personnel and Buildings of the 

Schools. 
4 — The Grades and Classes. 



letter X. 



The Purification of the Vehicles. 
1 — The Physical Body. 
2 — The Emotional Body. 
3— The Mental Body. 



Letter XL 



The Resultant Life of Service. 
1 — Motives for Service. 
2 — Methods of Service. 
3 — Attitude following Service. 





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THE CONS 


rirurioN or man 





The constitution of man, as considered in the follow- 
ing pages, is basically three-fold, as follows : — 

/. The Monad, or pure Spirit, the Father in Heaven. 
This aspect reflects the three aspects of the Godhead : 

1. Will or Power The Father 

2. Love- wisdom The Son 

3. Active Intelligence The Holy Spirit 

and is only contacted at the final initiations, when 
man is nearing the end of his journey and is per- 
fected. 

The Monad reflects itself again in 

II. The Ego, Higher Self, or Individuality. 
This aspect is potentially: — 

1. Spiritual Will Atma. 

2. Intuition Buddhi, Love-wisdom, 

the Christ principle. 

3. Higher or abstract Mind .... Higher Manas. 
The Ego begins to make its power felt in advanced 
men, and increasingly on the Probationary Path until 
by the third initiation the control of the lower self 
by the higher is perfected, and the highest aspect be- 
gins to make its energy felt. 

The Ego reflects itself in 

777. The Personality, or lower self, physical plane man. 
This aspect is also three-fold: — 

1. A mental body lower manas. 

2. An emotional body astral body. 

3. A physical body the dense physical and 

the etheric body. 

The aim of meditation is therefore to bring man to the 
realization of the Egoic aspect and to bring the lower na- 
ture under its control. This is the immediate goal for 
the average man. 



LETTER 1 

THE ALIGNMENT OF THE EGO WITH THE 
PERSONALITY. 

1 — The Aligning of the three lower bodies. 

2 — Aligning with the Causal Body. 

3 — The Method of Alignment. 

4 — Macrocosmic and Microcosmic Alignment. 



LETTERS ON 
OCCULT MEDITATION. 



LETTER I 

ALIGNMENT OF THE EGO WITH THE 
PERSONALITY. 



Sunday, May 16, 1920. 

It is in the aligning of the three vehicles, the physical, 
the emotional, and the lower mind body, within the 
causal periphery, and their stabilising there by an 
effort of the will, that the real work of the Ego or Higher 
Self in any particular incarnation can be accomplished. 
The great thinkers of the race, the true exponents of lower 
mind, are fundamentally those whose three lower bodies 
are aligned; that is to say, those whose mental body holds 
the other two in circumspect alignment. The mental 
body, then, is in direct communication, unobstructed and 
free from interference, straight through to the physical 
brain. 

When the alignment is four-fold and when the three 
above-mentioned bodies are aligned with the body of the 
Higher Self, the Causal or egoic body, and held steady 
within its circumference, then the great leaders of the 
race, — those who emotionally and intellectually sway man- 
kind, — can be seen working ; then the inspirational writers 
and dreamers can bring down their inspirations and 
dreams ; and then the synthetic and abstract thinkers can 
transfer their conceptions to the world of form. It is, 



2 ALIGNMENT 

right through, a question of an unimpeded channel. 
Study, therefore, in this connection and when time per- 
mits, physical co-ordination; then to physical co-ordina- 
tion add emotional stability, and you have the two 
vehicles functioning as one. When the co-ordination 
extends to the mental body, the three-fold lower man is 
reaching his apotheosis, and has rung most of the changes 
in the world of form. 

Later comes co-ordination perfected with the Higher 
Self, the channel of communication reaching in line direct, 
— via an unimpeded funnel, if so I might express it, — to the 
physical brain consciousness. Heretofore it has only 
been direct at rare intervals. The four lesser brain centres 
are functioning at high vibration in the man of a highly 
co-ordinated personality ; when the Ego is nearing align- 
ment with the lower bodies, the pineal gland and the pitui- 
tary body are in process of development; and when they 
are functioning with correlation (which eventuates by the 
time the third Initiation is taken), then the third, or alta 
major centre, intensifies its hitherto gentle vibration. 
When the fifth Initiation is taken, the interplay between 
the three centres is perfected, and the alignment of the 
bodies is geometrically rectified; you have then the per- 
fected five-fold superman. 

For the average man, then, this alignment occurs 
only at intervals, — in moments of stress, in hours of need- 
ed humanitarian effort and in times of intensest aspira- 
tion. Abstraction of a more or less degree has to enter in 
before the Ego takes continued notice of the personality or 
lower self. WTien that abstraction involves the emotions, 
is based in the mentality and contacts the physical brain, 
then alignment is commencing. 

Hence the work of meditation, for it tends to abstrac- 



ALIGNMENT 3 

tion and seeks to awaken to abstract consciousness both 
the emotions and the mentality. 

Alignment and Vibration. 

Forget not either that it is largely a question of matter 
and vibration. The abstract levels of the mental plane con- 
sist of the three higher levels, the first being that termed 
the third subplane. As I have explained to you before, 
each subplane has its correlations on the major planes. 
When, therefore, you have built into your bodies, — physic- 
al, emotional and mental, — matter of the third subplane 
of each of those planes, then the Higher Self commences 
consciously and ever more continuously to function through 
the aligning Personality. Perhaps we might reverse the 
idea and state that it is only when third subplane matter 
of a certain percentage (which percentage is one of the 
secrets of Initiation) is contained in the vehicles, that the 
Personality as a conscious whole recognizes and obeys that 
Higher Self. After such a percentage is attained, it is then 
necessary to build in matter of the two higher subplanes 
on the physical and emotional planes ; hence the struggle 
for the aspirant to purify and discipline the physical body 
and to subdue the emotional. Purification and subjuga- 
tion describe the work to be done on the two planes. This 
involves the use of lower mind, and the three lower vehicles 
thus become aligned. t 

The vibrations of the abstract levels can then begin to 
be felt. You need to remember that they come via the 
causal body, the vehicle of the Higher Self, and the aver- 
age causal body is on the third subplane of the mental 
plane. This is a point not sufficiently recognized. Ponder 
on it. Real abstract thought becomes possible only when 
the Personality has, by vibration reciprocal to that of the 
Ego, aligned itself sufficiently to form a fairly unimpeded 



4 ALIGNMENT 

channel. Then at intervals, rare at first bnt of increasing 
frequency, will abstract ideas began to filter down, to be 
followed in due time by flashes of real illumination or in- 
tuition from the Spiritual Triad or the true three-fold Ego 
itself. 

The Chord of the Ego. 

When I use the term "reciprocal vibration", what do 
1 mean? I mean the adaptation of the Personality or 
Lower Self, to the Ego, or Higher Self, the dominating 
of the Personality ray by the ray of the Ego and the com- 
bining of their tones. I mean the blending of the primary 
colour of the Higher Self with the secondary hue of the 
Lower Self until beauty is achieved. At first, there is 
dissonance and discord, a clashing of the colours, and a 
fight between the Higher and the Lower. But as time 
progresses, and later with the aid of the Master, harmony 
of colour and tone is produced (a synonymous matter), 
until eventually you will have the basic note of matter, the 
major third of the aligned Personality, the dominant fifth 
of the Ego, followed by the full chord of the Monad or 
Spirit. 

It is the dominant we seek at adeptship, and earlier 
the perfected third of the Personality. During our various 
incarnations we strike and ring the changes on all the 
intervening notes, and sometimes our lives are major and 
sometimes minor, but always they tend to flexibility and 
greater beauty. In due time, each note fits into its chord, 
the chord of the Spirit ; each chord forms part of a phrase, 
the phrase or group to which the chord belongs : and the 
phrase goes to the completion of one-seventh of the whole. 
The entire seven sections, then, complete the sonata of 
this solar system, — a part of the three-fold masterpiece of 
the Logos or God, the Master-Musician. 



ALIGNMENT 5 

June 2, 1920. 

Microcosmic and Macrocosmic Alignment. 

This morning, I would touch on the matter of egoic 
alignment again, showing you, under the Law of Corres- 
pondences, the universal application. It lies based in geo- 
metry, or in figures and numbers. 

The aim of the evolution of men in the three worlds — 
the physical, emotional and mental planes — is the align- 
ment of his three-fold Personality with the body egoic, till 
the one straight line is achieved and the man becomes the 
One. 

Each life that the Personality leads is, at the close, 
represented by some geometrical figure, some utilisation of 
the lines of the cube and their demonstration in a form of 
some kind. Intricate and uncertain in outline and crude 
in design are the forms of the earlier lives; definite and 
clear in outline are the forms built by the average ad- 
vanced man of this generation. But when he steps upon 
the Path of Discipleship, the purpose consists in merging 
all these many lines into one line, and gradually this con- 
summation is achieved. The Master is He Who has blended 
all the lines of five-fold development first into the three, 
and then into the one. The six-pointed star becomes the 
five-pointed star, the cube becomes the triangle, and the 
triangle becomes the one; whilst the one (at the end of 
the greater cycle) becomes the point in the circle of mani- 
festation. 

Hence the effort made to teach all devotees simplicity, 
based on a trinity of foundation truths, and the inculca- 
tion of one-pointedness. 

Each life tends to greater stability but seldom is the 
three-fold Personality yet to be found lined up, if so I 



6 ALIGNMENT 

may put it, with the causal consciousness. Temporary 
moments occur when this is the case and when (in mo- 
ments of highest aspiration and for purposes of unselfish 
endeavor) the higher and the lower form a line direct. 
Usually the emotional body, through violent emotion and 
vibration, or a fluctuating restlessness, is continuously out 
of alignment. Where the emotional body may be moment- 
arily aligned, then the mental body acts as an obstruction, 
preventing the percolation down from the higher to the 
lower, and so to the physical brain. It takes many lives 
of strenuous endeavor before the emotional body can be 
stilled, and a mental body built that will act as a filter and 
not as an impediment. Even when this has been somewhat 
accomplished and the emotional body is stabilised and a 
pure reflector, and the mental body serves the purpose of 
a sensitive plate and discriminator, and the intelligent ex- 
plainer of the higher imparted truth, — even then, I say, it 
takes much discipline and many lives of effort to align the 
two at the same time. When that is done, the control of 
the physical brain and its final alignment remain to be 
effected, so that it may act as a direct receiver and trans- 
mitter of the imparted teaching, and may reflect with 
accuracy the higher consciousness. 

Wherein, therefore, lies the macrocosmic correspond- 
ence? Where is the analogy in the Solar System? An 
indication I give here. In the direct alignment of certain 
planets in the process of systemic evolution, with each 
other and with the Sun comes Logoic or divine alignment. 
Think this out, but one word of warning I give. Seek not 
to work out hypotheses of alignment based on the physical 
planets. The truth lies not there. Only three of the 
physical planets (and those three in etheric matter) enter 
into the final alignment that marks the attainment by the 
Logos of the cosmic egoic consciousness, which is His 



ALIGNMENT 7 

goal of attainment. Of these three, the earth is not one, 
but VENUS has her place corresponding to the emotional 
permanent atom. 

Further still the alignment may be progressed: — in 
the alignment of our entire solar system with the system 
of Sirius lies a still more remote goal. It is a point far 
ahead in time, but holds hid the secret of the greater cycle. 



LETTER II 

THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION. 

1 — Results in egoic contact and alignment. 

2 — Brings about a state of equilibrium, 

3 — Stabilises vibration. 

4 — Assists in a transference of polarisation. 



S 



LETTER II 
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION. 

June 3, 1920 

Let me this morning give you some more thoughts on 
the subject of meditation; they will bear somewhat on the 
matter given yesterday, and on the 16th ultimo. 

Fundamentally, meditation is to assist alignment and 
so permit of contact with the Higher Self; hence its insti- 
tution. I would, in order duly to elucidate, take up the 
study of this topic under the following heads : 

a — The Importance of Meditation. 

b — Points considered when assigning a Meditation. 

c — The use of the Sacred Word in Meditation. 

d — Dangers to be avoided in Meditation. 

e — The use of Form in Meditation. 

f — The use of Colour and Sound in Meditation. 

g — Access to the Masters through Meditation. 

h — Future Schools of Meditation. 

i — Purification of the Vehicles. 

j — The Exoteric Life of Service. 
Let us today take up the consideration of the first 
point: — What makes Meditation of importance? 

The emphasis upon the importance of meditation 
follows naturally upon the realization by the student of 
the absolute necessity for the domination of the Person- 
ality by the Ego. 

Man at this time is engaged in many pursuits and 
through the force of circumstances he is polarised entire- 
ly in the Lower Self, that polarisation being in either the 
emotional or mental body. One point of interest I would 
indicate: — as long as the polarisation is purely physical 

9 



10 IMPOKTANCE OF MEDITATION 

or purely emotional, no need for meditation is ever felt. 
Even when the mental body is active, no urge arises until 
the man has run through many changes and many lives, 
has tasted the cup of pleasure and of pain through many 
incarnations, has sounded the depths of the life lived en- 
tirely for the lower self and found it unsatisfying. Then 
he begins to turn his thought to other things, to aspire to 
that which is unknown, to realize and sense within himself 
the pairs of opposites, and to contact within his conscious- 
ness possibilities and ideals undreamt of hitherto. He has 
come to a point where success, popularity and diverse gifts 
are his, and yet from their use he derives no content; al- 
ways the urge within persists until the pain is so severe 
that the desire to reach out and up, to ascertain something 
and someone beyond, overcomes all obstacles. The man 
begins to turn within and to seek the source from whence 
he came. Then he begins to meditate, to ponder, to inten- 
sify vibration until in process of time he garners the fruits 
of meditation. 

Four Things meditation does : 

1 — It enables a man to contact the Ego and to align 
the three lower bodies. 

2 — It puts a man into an attitude of equilibrium, 
neither utterly receptive and negative, nor utterly positive, 
but at the point of balance. Thus is afforded opportunity 
to the Ego, and later to the Master, to disturb that equili- 
brium and tune the quiescent vibration to a higher note 
than heretofore; to cause the consciousness to vibrate to 
a newer and a higher measure, and to swing (if so I may 
express it) into the periphery of the three-fold Spirit. By 
the constant practice of this, the whole point of equili- 
brium is gradually shifted higher and higher, until the 
time comes when the lower point of attraction in the swing- 



IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION 11 

ing and adjustment, is not the physical, touches not the 
emotional, contacts not the mental (the causal body even 
escaping) and the man is polarised in the spiritual con- 
sciousness from henceforth. 

This marks the fourth Initiation; after that Initia- 
tion, the Adept makes for Himself a body of manifestation, 
a free creation, — there is nothing in Him to call into ob- 
jectivity a body for use in the three worlds and evolved 
under the Law of Causes. 

3 — It stabilises the lower vibrations on the subplanes 
of the emotional and mental planes. It commences the 
work of attuning the self to the vibration of the third sub- 
plane on each of the three lower planes, until that sub- 
plane is dominated. The second subplane is then the next 
to be synchronised. 

A man reaches the point of personality attainment in 
this cycle when he has the capacity to vibrate and move 
consciously on the fourth subplane. We might term the 
fourth subplane on the physical, emotional and mental 
planes (when dominated, aligned and functioning simul- 
taneously in the same incarnation) the plane of perfected 
personality in the concrete sense of the word, and from the 
lower vision. That particular incarnation will be one in 
which the man achieves the fullest expression of his lower 
self, — physically perfect, emotionally vibrant, and men- 
tally colossal. Then succeeding that, begins the transfer- 
ence to a higher vibration, the keying up to the Higher 
Self, and the attuning of the Personality, or the major 
third, to the dominant fifth of the Ego. 

4 — It assists in the transference of the polarisation 
from one of the permanent atoms of the Personality into 
the corresponding atom in the spiritual Triad. Later I 
will elucidate this further. 



12 IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION 

Hence may easily be seen the essential nature of 
Meditation and its wise, diligent and serious following. 

Early in experience, after the attainment of the high- 
est the lower nature has to offer, man begins to meditate. 
Disorderly at first are his attempts, and sometimes several 
incarnations may go by in which the Higher Self only 
forces the man to think and seriously to meditate at rare 
and separated intervals. More frequently come the 
occasions of withdrawing within, until there arises for 
the man several lives given to mystic meditation and aspir- 
ation, culminating usually in a life given entirely to it. 
It marks the point of the highest emotional aspiration, 
apart from the scientific application of the law, via the 
mental body. These laws are those governing the true 
occult meditation. 

Behind each of you who are working definitely under 
one of the Masters, lie two lives of culmination : — the life 
of worldly apotheosis and the life of intensest meditation 
along the mystic or emotional-intuitional line. This medi- 
tative life was taken either in a monastery or nunnery in 
middle Europe by those linked with the Master JESUS 
and His disciples, or in India, Tibet or China by the pupils 
of the Master M — or the Master K. H. 

Now comes to all of you the most important series of 
lives to which the previous points of culmination were but 
stepping stones. In the lives immediately ahead of those 
upon the Path will come final achievement through the 
instrumentality of the ordered occult meditation, based 
on law. For some few may come attainment in this life 
or the next; for others, shortly in other lives. For a few 
there lies ahead the attainment of the mystic method, to be 
the basis later on of the occult or mental method. 



LETTEE III 

POINTS CONSIDERED WHEN ASSIGNING 
MEDITATION. 

1— The Kay of the Ego or Higher Self. 
2 — The Ray of the Personality or Lower Self. 
3 — Karmic condition of the three-fold man. 
4 — The condition of the causal Body. 
5 — The need of the period and the man's availability. 
6 — The groups, inner and outer, to which he is affili- 
ated. 



13 



LETTER III 

POINTS CONSIDERED WHEN ASSIGNING 
MEDITATION. 

June 4, 1920 

We have dealt with the importance of meditation, and 
I have suggested for your consideration four reasons out 
of the many why the practice should be followed. At this 
period when meditation is followed by many of you with- 
out the guidance of a teacher who is personally acquainted 
with you on the physical plane, it has been impossible to 
do more than formulate a plan for practice that carries in 
it the elements of safety and of universality. 

When a teacher is on the spot, differentiated practice 
may be carried on suited to the temperament of the pupil, 
and having certain attributes that make that particular 
meditation the line of least resistance from the physical 
brain of the personality to the causal body. 

In formulating methods of meditation certain factors 
must be taken into consideration. These factors I will now 
enumerate. I seek not to give you outlines and methods to 
be followed. I but indicate the underlying principles that 
guide the teacher in the choice of method suitable for the 
pupil. Later, when the teacher comes and the scientific 
application of the method to the individual is being demon- 
strated, you can then see if the rules laid down here are 
fundamentals or not. These fundamentals and prin- 
ciples are all I seek to give. Method and detail must be 
worked out through the use of discrimination, experience, 
courage and perseverance. 

The factors that must be considered by a teacher when 
assigning a meditation are six in number, if we deal only 
with the principal ones. They are as follows : 

14 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 15 

1— The Ray of the pupil's Ego, or Higher Self. 

2 — The Ray of his Personality or Lower Self. 

3 — The Karmic condition of his three-fold lower 
nature. 

4 — The condition of his Causal Body. 

5 — The immediate need of the period and his avail- 
ability. 

6 — The groups, inner and outer, with which he may 
be affiliated. 

We will now take them up and consider them one by 
one. 
/ — The Ray of the Higher Self : 

The ray on which a man's causal body is found, the 
egoic ray, should determine the type of meditation. Each 
ray necessitates a different method of approach, for the 
aim of all meditation is union with the divine. At this 
stage, it is union with the spiritual Triad, that has its 
lowest reflection on the mental plane. Let me illustrate 
briefly : 

When the egoic ray is what is termed the Power Ray, 
the method of approach has to be by the application of the 
will in a dynamic form to the lower vehicles ; it is largely 
what we term achievement by an intense focusing, a ter- 
rific one-pointedness, that inhibits all hindrances and liter- 
ally forces a channel, thus driving itself into the Triad. 

When the egoic ray is the Second or the Love-Wisdom 
ray, the path of least resistance lies along the line of ex- 
pansion, of a gradual inclusion. It is not so much a driv- 
ing forward as it is a gradual expanding from an inner 
centre to include the entourage, the environment, the al- 
lied souls, and the affiliated groups of pupils under some 
one Master, until all are included in the consciousness. 
Carried to the point of achievement, this expansion results 
in the final shattering of the causal body at the fourth 



16 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

Initiation. In the first instance — achievement via the 
Power Kay — the driving forward and the forcing upward 
had a like result; the opened channel admitted the down- 
flow of force or fire from the Spirit and the causal in time 
is equally destroyed. 

When the egoic ray is the third or activity-adaptibility 
ray, the method is somewhat different. Not so much the 
driving forward, not so much the gradual expansion as the 
systematic adaptation of all knowledge and of all means 
to the end in view. It is in fact the process of the utiliza- 
tion of the many for the use of the one ; it is more the ac- 
cumulation of needed material and quality for the helping 
of the world, and the amassing of information through love 
and discrimination that eventually causes the shattering 
of the causal body. In these "Kays of Aspect" or of divine 
expression, if so I may call them, the shattering is brought 
about by the widening of the channel, due to the driving 
power of will in the first case; by the expansion of the 
lower auric egg, the causal body, in the second case, due 
to the inclusiveness of the synthetic ray of love and wis- 
dom; and by the breaking of the periphery of the causal 
body in the third case, due to the accumulative faculty and 
systematic absorption of the adaptability ray. 

All these three different methods have the same result, 
and are fundamentally all forms of the one great method 
employed in the evolution of love or wisdom, — the goal of 
endeavour in this present solar system. 

You have the will driving a man on to perfection, 
through realization of the Higher, and resulting in the 
service of power through love in activity. 

You have the wisdom or love aspect driving a man on 
to perfection through the realisation of his oneness with 
all that breathes, resulting in the service of love through 
love in activity. 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 17 

You have the activity^ aspect driving a man on to per- 
fection through the utilisation of all in the service of man ; 
first by the utilisation of all for himself, then by the graded 
steps of the utilisation of all for the family, of all for those 
he personally loves, of all for his environing associates, 
and thus on and up till all is utilised in the service of 
humanity. 

When the egoic ray is the attributive ray of Harmony, 
the fourth ray, the method will be along the line of the 
inner realisation of beauty and harmony; it causes the 
shattering of the causal body by the knowledge of Sound 
and Colour and the shattering effect of Sound. It is the 
process that leads to the realisation of the notes and tones 
of the solar system, the note and tone of individuals, and 
the endeavor to harmonise the egoic note with that of 
others. When the egoic note is sounded in harmony with 
other egos, the result is the shattering of the causal 
body, dissociation from the lower and the attainment of 
perfection. Its exponents develop along the line of music, 
rhythm and painting. They withdraw within in order 
to comprehend the life side of the form. The outer mani- 
festation of that life side in the world is through that 
which we call art. The great painters and the superlative 
musicians are in many cases reaching their goal that way. 

When the fifth ray, the ray of concrete science or 
knowledge is a man's ray, the method is very interesting. 
It takes the form of the intense application of the concrete 
mind to some problem for the helping of the race; it is the 
bending of every mental quality and the controlling of the 
lower nature so that one supreme endeavor is made to 
pierce through that which hinders the downflow of the 
higher knowledge. It involves also the will element (as 
might be expected) and results in the wresting of the de- 
sired information from the source of all knowledge. 



18 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

As the process is continued, the piercing of the peri- 
phery of the causal body becomes so frequent that in the 
end disintegration is produced and a man is set free. It 
is mentality driving a man on to perfection and forcing 
him to utilise all knowledge in the loving service of his 
race. 

The ray of devotion is pre-eminently the ray of sacri- 
fice. When it is the egoic ray the method of approach 
through meditation takes the form of one-pointed applica- 
tion, through love of some individual or ideal. A man 
learns to include through love of person or ideal ; he bends 
every faculty and every effort to the contemplation of what 
is required, and in sacrifice for that person or ideal lays 
even his causal body on the flames of the altar. It is the 
method of divine fanaticism that counts all lost apart from 
the vision, and that eventually sacrifices joyously the 
entire personality. The causal body is destroyed through 
fire, and the liberated life streams upward to the Spirit 
in divine beatification. 

When the egoic ray is the seventh or ray of ceremonial 
law, of magic, the method is that of the glorification and 
comprehension of form in approach. As said earlier, the 
goal of all the meditation practices is approach to the 
divine within each one, and, through that, approach to the 
Deity Himself. 

The method, therefore, is the bringing under law, or- 
der and rule, of every act of the life in all the three bodies, 
and the building within the causal body of an expanding 
form that results in the shattering of that body. It is the 
building of the Shrine under certain rules into a dwelling 
place for the Shekinah, and when the spiritual light flames 
forth, the Temple of Solomon rocks, reels and disinte- 
grates. It is the study of the law and the consequent com- 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 19 

prehension by the man of how that law is wielded and 
why; it is then the definite application of that law to the 
body of canses so as render it needless and thns effect its 
shattering. Emancipation is the result, and the man 
frees himself from the three worlds. Many occultists are 
coming in on this ray at this time to continue the liberat- 
ing process. It is the method that leads a man to libera- 
tion through the understanding and the intelligent appli- 
cation of the law to his own life, and to the ameliorating 
of conditions in the body of humanity, thus making the 
man a server of his race. 
This suffices for today. 

June 5, 1920 
2. The Ray of the Personality. 

We have somewhat dealt with the first factor, the 
egoic ray, in determining the method of meditation. To- 
day we might take up the function of the personality ray 
in determining this method. As you know, the personality 
ray is ever a sub-ray of the spiritual ray and varies with 
greater frequency than the egoic ray. With evolved egos 
such as may be contacted among the thinkers of the race 
and among the prominent workers in all departments of 
world work everywhere, the personality ray may vary 
from life to life, each life being based on a different note 
and demonstrating a different colour. In this way the 
causal body is more rapidly equipped. When the reincar- 
nating unit has reached a point where he can consciously 
choose his mode of expression, he will first review his past 
lives, and from the knowledge gained thereby, he will guide 
his choice for the next. Prior to incarnation he will sound 
his egoic note and will note the lack of fullness or the dis- 
cord it may contain; he will then decide upon which note 
he will base his coming personality vibration. 



20 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

The whole life, therefore, may be given over to the 
sounding of a particular note and to the stabilising of 
one particular vibration. This note must be sounded and 
this vibration stabilised in diversity of circumstances. 
Hence the necessity in the life of the aspirant or disciple 
for frequent change, and the explanation of the obvious 
condition of variety and apparent chaos in which these 
lives are spent. 

When the discord has been corrected and when the 
vibration becomes steady and is not subject to change, 
then the needed work is done. The Ego can call in again 
his forces, prior to continuing the work of perfecting the 
causal body and carrying to perfect accuracy and clarity 
of tone the desired chord. See then the necessity of adapt- 
ing the method of meditation to the need of the person- 
ality, and of synchronizing it at the same time with the 
first factor, involving the ray of the Ego. 
A practical illustration. 

Let me illustrate, if in any way I can elucidate the 
matter; accuracy of comprehension is desired. 

We will asume that the egoic ray of A is that of the 
love or wisdom ray, whilst the ray of his lower self is that 
of the fifth or the ray of concrete knowledge. A in past 
lives has demonstrated love and has made real progress in 
the method of the synthetic ray, that of expansion. He 
loves much and expands with fair facility his conscious- 
ness to include a just part of his environing circumstances. 
But, though of average intelligence, he lacks the stabilis- 
ing vibration that attaches to the fifth ray. He has not 
that concentration that forces results, and he needs the 
basic foundation of facts before he can wisely and safely 
proceed much further. The wise teacher, in apprehending 
this necessity, uses the method of expansion inherent in 
the egoic ray and applies it to the expansion of the mental 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 21 

body. By a wisely adjudicated method, he will apply the 
faculty of expansion (hitherto used only to include others 
through love) to the one-pointed effort likewise to expand 
for the purpose of apprehending knowledge. When this 
is done, every effort of the personal life may apparently 
(in one particular incarnation) be given to the acquire- 
ment of scientific position and to the development of mind. 
Intellectual progress may seem of too paramount import- 
ance to the uninstructed onlooker ; yet, after all, the work 
proceeds as desired by the inner guide, and only the life 
succeeding will demonstrate the wisdom of the egoic 
choice. 

Intellectual expansion by the combination of second 
ray methods with fifth ray application will be achieved. 
Have I made this matter clear? I write for clarity, for 
this question of meditation is of much vital importance 
to many. 

It will, therefore, be clear to you on careful perusal, 
that as one knows more, one judges less. A person may 
be well-developed on the love side, yet in some particular 
incarnation that side may be in abeyance, and the line of 
development most apparent may be the purely intellectual. 
Eeservation of opinion is the best line for the wise onlooker 
to take, for he has not yet the inner vision that sees the 
colour, nor the occult hearing that recognises the note. 

June 7, 1920 
3 — The Karmic Condition of the Three-fold Man. 

Today the karmic condition of the three-fold man and 
his place in evolution comes up for consideration under 
our discussion of "Methods of Meditation". It is our third 
point and of real moment in deciding wisely upon a method 
suitable for the individual. We have up till now consid- 
ered first the importance of meditation; then we touched 



22 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

briefly upon the part the egoic ray plays in deciding upon 
that method, incidentally bringing out a point not much 
emphasised hitherto that the real goal of meditation is 
the gradual fracturing, breaking and shattering of the 
egoic body. Each ray necessitated, we saw, a different pro- 
cess. Then we took up the function of the personality ray 
in combination with the egoic ray, and saw how in wise 
consideration of the two factors a method could wisely 
be apportioned. 

Now we take up more specifically the factor of time. 
Karma and time are more synonymous terms than is oft 
realised. Occult meditation and the definite commence- 
ment of the work of liberating the individual from the 
periphery of the causal body can only be begun when a 
certain point in evolution has been attained, and when 
(through its content) the causal body is of a certain spe- 
cific gravity, and when the circumference of that body 
measures up to certain requirements. The whole process 
is one of Law, and not as is so oft considered, one purely 
of aspiration and lofty desire. Consider wisely this sen- 
tence I have just written upon the karmic condition of the 
three-fold man and his place on the ladder of evolution. 
•What have I specified? Three factors for your consid- 
eration : 

a — The point in evolution. 

b — The specific gravity of the causal body. 

c — The size and circumference of the causal body. 

Later I intend definitely taking up with you the ques- 
tion of the mental plane and its three higher subplanes, 
which are the planes of the Ego. We will deal with the 
position of the causal body on these planes and with the 
relationship of the causal body to other bodies on the 
same plane. In this letter I deal only with the three above- 
mentioned points. I deal, therefore with the causal body 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 23 

itself, with the egoic consciousness and its relationship to 
the lower self. Later I will deal with the same con- 
sciousness on its own plane and its relationship to other 
egos and to the Hierarchy. Keep this clearly in mind : — 
the development of the egoic consciousness within the 
Personality is my main theme at this time. Do not con- 
fuse the two. We might word it otherwise : — I will deal 
with the relationship of the Higher Self to the three-fold 
lower man, and the gradually increasing strength of that 
relationship through meditation. This increase is co-in- 
cident with the three factors above named. Let us take 
them in order. 
The Point in Evolution. 

The life of the evolving personality might be divided 
into five divisions. Ours is, after all, a five-fold evolution, 
and the life of the man (as a human being and prior to 
taking the fifth Initiation) may be considered as a series of 
five gradual steps, each step being gauged by the condition 
of the indwelling Flame of Spirit. From the standpoint 
of our occult planetary Hierarchy, as before I have told 
you, we are measured by our light. 

The first division of progress might be measured from 
the moment when animal-man became a thinking entity, 
a human being, to that of the conscious functioning of the 
emotional body or to the point where the emotions are very 
largely paramount. It corresponds to the period covered 
by the Lemurian and early Atlantean days. During this 
period, the man is polarised in his physical body and is 
learning to be controlled by his desire body, the body of 
feeling or of emotion. He has no aspirations save such as 
pander to the pleasures of the body; he lives for his 
physical nature, and has no thought for aught that may 
be higher. This period parallels that of the child from one 
to seven years. At this time the watching Teachers of 



24 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

the race see the indwelling Flame as a tiny pin-point, and 
the permanent atom of the physical plane holds the polar- 
isation. No attention is called for from the Teachers, 
for the instinctive force inherent in the Higher Self does 
the work, and the driving force of evolution carries all 
on to perfection. 

The second period covers a point in development when 
the polarisation is largely in the emotional body and when 
lower mind desire is being developed. Later Atlantean 
days hold the analogy hid. The desires are not so purely 
physical, for mind is beginning to permeate, much as yeast 
causes a movement and a rising in a mass of dough. The 
Dian is conscious of vague desires not associated with his 
physical body; he is capable of a deep love for teachers 
and guides wiser than himself, of a wild unreasoning de- 
votion for his environing associates, and of an equally wild 
and unreasoning hatred, for the equilibrium that mind 
achieves, and the balance that is the result of mental ac- 
tion, is wanting in his make-up. He suffers from extremes. 

The polarisation lies now in the emotional permanent 
atom but, (when this point of development is reached) 
a light plays between the two atoms that have known 
polarisation — the emotional and the physical. What I am 
seeking to bring out at this stage is that the mental unit 
has not known the force of polarisation, the emotional 
is holding it, and the result is an integral difference with- 
in the periphery of the atom itself. The molecular com- 
binations that compose the atom which has suffered polari- 
sation are grouped in a different geometrical form to those 
which have not yet experienced the process. It is the effect 
of the life of the Ego, playing on the matter of the atom 
and causing various approximations and differentiations 
unseen in a non-polarised atom. The matter is abstruse 
and complex. 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 25 

This period covers an analagous one to that in the 
life of a child from seven to fourteen years, or that period 
when adolescence is traversed and the child is maturing. 
This maturity is the product of emotional and physical 
polarisation in alignment. Alignment is now easily 
achieved between the physical and emotional bodies. The 
problem is to bring both under alignment with the mental 
and later with egoic bodies. 

To the watching. Guides of the race, the indwelling 
Flame or Light can be seen slightly more enlarged, but 
still so small as to be inappreciable. But, if I can in any 
way make clear without misleading by the use of words — 
whereas in the first period the physical atom could be seen 
illuminated, now in the second period the emotional atom 
is similarly lit up, a signal to the Teachers that the work 
progresses. All this covers a vast period of time for pro- 
gress at this time is inexpressibly slow. My allusion to 
the Atlantean and Lemurian races was but to trace an- 
alogy in object, and not analogy in time. 

Now, on entering the third period, comes the most 
vital point in the development of the man, that in which 
mind is developing and the polarising life shifts to the men- 
tal unit. Speaking in terms of the solar system and view- 
ing humanity as a unit, all of whose permanent atoms form 
the molecules in a corresponding cosmic atom, the work 
has progressed from physical to emotional polarisation 
and remains there. Not till the seventh cycle of the 
greater cycle, not till the calling of the system into ob- 
scuration and out of manifestation will the cosmic mental 
atom in the body of the Logos achieve polarisation. Here 
and there individuals are, as units, accomplishing the 
work and demonstrating therefore the hope for all. 

This period corresponds to that between the ages 
fourteen and twenty-eight. The period here is longer for 



26 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

there is much to be done. Two atoms have felt polarisa- 
tion, and one is receiving the shifting. It is the middle 
point. At this time the light plays between the three atoms 
(outlining the personality triangle). But the focal point 
is gradually shifting more and more into the mental unit, 
and the egoic body is becoming gradually more rounded 
out, and assuming its proportions. 

The man has control of the physical body and each life 
he builds a better; he has a desire body of more refined 
requirements (note the occult significance of that word) ; 
he realizes the joys of intellect and strives ever for a men- 
tal body of greater adequacy; his desires turn upward in- 
stead of downward, and become transmuted into aspira- 
tion, — at first aspiration towards the things of mind, and 
later towards that which is more abstract and synthetic. 
The indwelling egoic Flame or Light now radiates from an 
inner centre to the periphery, lighting the causal body and 
giving indication of burning. To the on-looking Hier- 
archy it is apparent that the divine fire is permeating and 
warming and radiating throughout the causal body, and 
that the Ego is becoming ever more conscious on his own 
plane, and ever more interested — via the permanent atoms, 
— in the life of the Personality. The physical brain of the 
Personality is not yet aware of the difference between in- 
herent mental capacity and the directed impress of the 
indwelling Ego, but the time is becoming ripe for a change 
of some kind, and evolution is moving with rapidity. The 
fourth period approaches. I would here sound a warning. 
All this proceeds not in ordered sections, if so I may term 
it. It proceeds as proceeds the greater system, with con- 
stant overlapping, and with parallelism, due to the inher- 
ent ray of the Spirit or Monad, to cyclic changes, to 
diversity of forces playing astrologically and oft from un- 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 27 

known cosmic centres upon the palpitating life within the 
atoms 

The fourth period is that within which co-ordination 
of the Personality is completed, and that wherein the man 
comes to himself (as did the prodigal in the far country) 
and says : "I will arise and go to my Father." This is the 
result of the first meditation. The three permanent atoms 
are functioning and the man is an active feeling, thinking 
entity. He reaches the consummation of the personality 
life and he begins to shift CONSCIOUSLY his polarisation 
from the personality life to the egoic. He stands upon 
the Path of Discipleship or Probation, or is close to it. 
He commences the work of transmutation ; he laboriously, 
painfully and carefully, forces his consciousness higher 
and to expand at will; at any cost he determines to dom- 
inate and function in full liberation on the three lower 
planes; he realizes that the Ego must have perfect ex- 
pression, — physical, emotional and mental, — and he 
makes, therefore, at infinite cost, the necessary channel. 
He attracts the attention of the Teachers. In what way 
does he do this? The causal body begins to radiate the in- 
dwelling Light. It has been constructed to a point where 
it is fine enough to act as a transparency and, where the 
contact of the Ego is made with the Triad, a point of 

Flame appears The light is no longer under the 

bushel, but suddenly flames forth, and catches the eager 
eye of the Master. 

This marks the period between twenty-eight and 
thirty-five in the life of the adult. It is the period wherein 
a man finds himself, discovers what his line of activity may 
be, what he can accomplish, and from the worldly stand- 
point, comes into his own. 

During the fifth period, the Flame gradually breaks 
through the periphery of the causal body, and the "path 



28 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

of the just shineth ever more and more unto the perfect 
day." It is in the fourth period that meditation com- 
mences, — the mystic meditation that leads, in the fifth 
period, to that occult meditation that brings about results, 
being under the law and hence following the line of the 
ray. It is by meditation that the man — as a Personality 
— feels out the vibration of the Ego, and seeks to reach up 
to the Ego and bring the egoic consciousness ever more and 
more down, so as to include consciously the physical plane. 
It is by meditation or by retreating within that the man 
learns the significance of FIRE, and applies that fire to 
all the bodies, till naught is left save the fire itself. It is 
by meditation, or the reaching from the concrete to the 
abstract, that the causal consciousness is entered, and man 
— during this final period — becomes the Higher Self and 
not the Personality. 

The polarisation shifts during the fifth period (the 
period of the Path of Initiation) entirely from the Per- 
sonality to the Ego, until, at the close of that period, 
liberation is complete, and the man is set free. Even the 
causal body is known as a limitation and the emancipation 
is completed. The polarisation then shifts higher into the 
Triad — the shifting beginning at the third Initiation. The 
physical permanent atom goes and the polarisation be- 
comes higher mental; the emotional permanent atom goes 
and the polarisation becomes intuitional ; the mental unit 
goes and the polarisation becomes spiritual. The man 
then becomes a Master of the Wisdom and is of the 
symbolic age of forty-two, the point of perfected maturity 
in the solar system. 

A still later period comes corresponding to the ages 
forty-two to forty-nine, wherein the sixth and seventh In- 
itiations may be taken, but this period concerns not the 
readers of these letters 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 29 

June 9, 1920 
The Specific Gravity and Content of the Causal Body. 

This subject, anent the causal body, opens up for the 
thinker much food for speculation. The literal figures 
and the dimensional lines cannot be given. They form one 
of the secrets of initiation but certain ideas may be sug- 
gested and submitted to the consideration of all interested. 

Just what do you mean when you speak of the causal 
body? Say not glibly, the body of causes, for words thus 
spoken are oft but nebulous and vague. Let us now con- 
sider the causal body and find out its component parts. 

On the involutionary path you have what is termed 
the Group Soul, aptly described (as far as earth words 
permit) as a collection of triads, enclosed in a triple en- 
velop of monadic essence. On the evolutionary path, 
groups of causal bodies correspond and are similarly com- 
posed, three factors entering in. 

The causal body is a collection of permanent atoms, 

three in all, enclosed in an envelop of mental essence 

What happens at the moment when animal-man becomes 
a thinking entity, a human being? The approximation 
of the self and the not-self by means of mind, for man is 
"that being in whom highest spirit and lowest matter are 
linked together by intelligence." What do I mean by this 
phrase? Just this: that when animal-man had reached 
a point of adequacy, when his physical body was sufficient- 
ly co-ordinated, when he had an emotional or desire nature 
sufficiently strong to form a basis for existence, and to 
guide it by means of instinct, and when the germ of men- 
tality was sufficiently implanted to have donated the in- 
stinctive memory and correlation of ideas that can be seen 
in the average domesticated animal, then the descending 
Spirit (which had taken to itself an atom on the mental 
plane) judged the time ripe for taking possession of the 



30 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

lower vehicles. The Lords of the Flame were called in and 
they effected the transfer of polarisation from the lower 
atom of the Triad to the lowest atom of the Personality. 
Even then, the indwelling Flame could come no lower 
than the third subplane of the mental plane. There the 
two met and became one and the causal body was formed. 
All in nature is interdependent, and the indwelling 
Thinker cannot control in the three lower worlds without 
the aid of the lower self. The life of the first Logos must 
be blended ivith that of the second Logos and based on the 
activity of the third Logos. 

Therefore, you have at the moment of individualisa- 
tion, which is the term used to express this hour of contact, 
on the third subplane of the mental plane a point of light, 
enclosing three atoms, and itself enclosed in a sheath of 
mental matter. The work then to be done consists of : 

1. Causing that point of light to become a flame, by 
steadily fanning the spark and feeding the fire. 

2. Causing the causal body to grow and expand from 
being a colourless ovoid, holding the Ego like a yolk within 
the egg-shell, to a thing of rare beauty, containing within 
itself all the colour of the rainbow. This is an occult fact. 
The causal body will palpitate in due course of time with 
an inner irradiation, and an inner glowing flame that will 
gradually work its way from the centre to the periphery. 
It will then pierce through that periphery, using the body 

(that product of millenia of lives of pain and endeavor) 
as fuel for its flames. It will burn all up, it will mount 
upward to the Triad, and (becoming one with that Triad) 
will be re-absorbed into the spiritual consciousness, — will 
carry with it — using heat as the symbol — an intensity of 
heat or quality of colour or vibration that before were 
lacking. 

Therefore the work of the Personality — for we have 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 31 

to view all from that angle until egoic vision may be ours, 
— is first to beautify, build and expand the causal body; 
secondly to withdraw within it the life of the Personality, 
sucking the good out of the personal life and storing it in 
the body of the Ego. We might term this the Divine 
Vampirism, for always evil is but the other side of good. 
Then, having accomplished this, comes the application of 
the flame to the causal body itself and the joyous standing 
by whilst the work of destruction goes on, and the Flame — 
the live inner man and the spirit of divine life — is set free 
and mounts to its source. 

The specific gravity of the causal body fixes the 
moment of emancipation and marks the time when the 
work of beautifying and building is completed, when the 
Temple of Solomon is erected, and when the iveight 
(occultly understood) of the causal body measures up to 
the standard looked for by the Hierarchy. Then the work 
of destruction supervenes and liberation approaches. 
Spring has been experienced, the full verdure of summer 
has succeeded, now must be felt the disintegrating force 
of autumn, — only this time it is felt and applied on mental 
levels and not on physical. The axe is laid to the root of 
the tree, but the life essence is garnered into the divine 
storehouse. 

The content of the causal body is the accumulation by 
slow and gradual process of the good in each life. The 
building proceeds slowly at first, but towards the end of 
incarnation, — on the probationary Path and on the Path 
of Initiation — the work proceeds rapidly. The structure 
has been reared, and each stone quarried in the personal 
life. On the Path, in each of its two divisions, the work 
of completing and beautifying the Temple proceeds with 
greater rapidity 



32 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

The size and circumference of the Causal Body, 

Briefly and in conclusion of this matter, I would seek 
to point out that the circumference of the causal body- 
varies according to type and ray. Some egoic bodies are of 
a form more circular than others; some are more ovoid, 
and others more elongated in shape. It is the content and 
the pliability that matter, and above all the occult 
permeability of the lower auric egg that permits of contact 
with other egos, yet retains identity; that merges itself 
with its fellows, yet reserves individuality; and that ab- 
sorbs all that is desirable, yet keeps ever its own shape. 

June 16, 1920 
4 — Condition of the Causal Body. 

The fourth factor underlying the choice of a method 
of meditation is our subject today and consists of the con- 
dition of the causal body. 

We have dealt with the causal body in its relationship 
to the Personality or lower self, showing the interplay 
between the two and their interdependence. Through 
steady application to occult meditation, and through the 
gradual stilling of the lower mind, through concentration 
and the wise following of the egoic ray meditation, bal- 
anced by the personality ray meditation, we found that 
the relationship of the causal body to the Personality be- 
came ever closer and the channel connecting the two be- 
came ever more clear and adequate. This resulted 
eventually, we saw, in a shifting of polarisation from the 
lower to the higher and later to complete emancipation 
from both, — centralisation ensuing then in the spiritual 
consciousness. We dealt with the matter from the lower 
point of view, seeing it from the standpoint of a man in 
the three worlds. 

Today we will deal with the matter from the stand- 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 33 

point of the Higher Self, from the egoic level, and consider 
the relationship of that Self to the Hierarchy, to surround- 
ing egos, and to the Spirit. It will be difficult to do more 
than give some few hints, for much that I could say would 
be little comprehended, and much would be too occult and 
dangerous for general communication. 

Three things may be imparted, which — when wisely 
meditated upon, may lead to illumination: — 

The Ego on its own plane, realises consciously its 
relationship to the Master, and seeks to transmit that 
consciousness to the Personality. 

The Higher Self on its own plane, is not tram- 
melled by time and space, and (knowing the future as well 
as that which is past) seeks to bring the desired end nearer 
and make it more rapidly a fact. 

The Higher Self or Ego on its own plane has direct 
relationship with other egos on the same ray, and on a 
corresponding concrete or abstract ray, and — realising 
that progress is made in group formation — works on that 
plane at the helping of his kind. These facts are already 
half apprehended among students but by a slight elabora- 
tion I may make it clearer. 
Relationship of the Ego to the Hierarchy. 

The relationship of the Ego to some one Master is at 
this stage consciously realised, but is nevertheless, itself 
of evolutionary development. As we have been told, there 
are sixty thousand million units of consciousness or 
spirits in the evolving human hierarchy. These are found 
on causal levels, though the numbers are slightly less now, 
owing to the attainment of the fourth Initiation by in- 
dividuals from time to time. These egos at different stages 
of development are all linked with their Monad, Spirit or 
Father in Heaven, in much the same way (only in finer 
matter) as the Ego is linked with the Personality. 



34 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

All the Monads are, as you know, under the control, 
or rather form part, of the consciousness of one of the 
Planetary Spirits. On egoic levels, the egos are in a 
similar condition. An Adept of their ray supervises their 
general evolution, dealing with them in groups. These 
groups are formed under three conditions: 

a — As to sub-ray of the egoic ray. 
b — As to period of individualisation or of entrance in- 
to the human kingdom, 
c — As to point of attainment. 

The Adept of their ray handles the general super- 
vision but under Him work the Masters, each on His Own 
ray, and with Their own individual groups, who are 
affiliated with Them through period, through karma and 
through point of vibration. Under the Masters work the 
disciples who have the consciousness of the Higher Self, 
and are therefore able to work on causal levels and aid in 
the development of these egos whose causal bodies are less 
developed than their own. 

All is beautifully subjected to law, and as the work 
of developing the egoic body is dependent upon the prog- 
ress made in the three-fold personality, the Ego is con- 
sequently aided on lower levels by two different disciples, 
one working on emotional levels and reporting to another 
disciple who works upon the mental vehicle. He in his 
turn reports to the disciple with causal consciousness, who 
reports again to the Master. All this is done with the 
co-operation of the indwelling consciousness in the causal 
body. This, as you see, entails five factors concerning 
themselves with the aiding of the Ego in his evolutionary 
development : 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 35 

1— The Adept of his Kay. 

2 — The Master of his group. 

3 — A disciple with causal consciousness. 

4 — A disciple on the mental plane. 

5 — A helper on the emotional plane. 

For a long period of lives the Ego remains practical- 
ly unconscious of the Personality. The magnetic link ex- 
ists, but that is all until the time comes when the personal 
life reaches a point where it has somewhat to add to the 
content of the causal body — a body at first small, colour- 
less and insignificant. But the hour comes when the stones 
are first brought perfected from the quarry of the personal 
life, and the first colours are painted in by the man, the 
builder and the artist. Then the Ego begins to give at- 
tention, rarely at first, but with increasing frequency, until 
lives come around in which the Ego definitely works at the 
subjugation of the lower self, at the enlargement of the 
communicating channel, and at the transmission to the 
physical brain consciousness of the fact of its existence 
and the goal of its being. Once that is accomplished, and 
the inner fire is freer in its passage, lives are then given to 
the stabilising of that impression, and to the making of 
that inner consciousness a part of the conscious life. The 
flame radiates downward more and more until gradually 
the different vehicles come into line, and the man stands 
on the Probationary Path. He is ignorant yet of what 
lies ahead, and is conscious only of wild and earnest as- 
piration and of innate divine longings. He is eager to 
make good, longing to know, and dreaming always of some- 
one or something higher than himself. All this is backed 
by the profound conviction that in service to humanity 
will the dreamed-of goal be reached, will the vision become 
reality, the longing fructify into satisfaction, and aspira- 
tion be merged in sight. 



36 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

The Hierarchy begins to take action and his instruc- 
tion is carried out as aforesaid Until now the 

Teachers have only watched and guided without definitely 
dealing with the man himself ; all has been left to the Ego 
and the life divine to carry out the plan, the attention of 
the Masters being directed to the Ego on his own plane. 
The Ego bends every effort to quicken vibration, and to 
force the oft-rebelling lower vehicles to respond and meas- 
ure up to the rapidly increasing force. It is largely a 
matter of increased fire or heat, and consequent intensifica- 
tion of vibratory capacity. The egoic fire waxes ever 
greater until the work is done, and the purificatory fire 
becomes the Light of Illumination. Ponder on this sen- 
tence. As above, so below ; on each rung of the ladder the 
process is repeated ; the Monad, at the third Initiation, be- 
gins itself to be conscious of the Ego. The work, then, is 
more rapid owing to the rarity of the material and to the 
fact that resistance is a factor in the three worlds but not 
elsewhere. 

Hence, pain ceases for a Master. That is, pain as we 
know it on earth, which is largely pain in matter. The 
pain that lies hid in comprehension, not resistance, is felt 
to the highest circles, yea, it reaches to the Logos Himself. 
But this is beside the point and well nigh incomprehensible 
to you who are yet trammelled by matter. 
Relationship of the Ego to its own development. 

The Ego seeks to bring the desired end about in three 
ways : — 

1 — By definite work on abstract levels. It aspires to 
contact and enclose the permanent atom, its first direct 
approach to the Triad. 

2 — By definite work on colour and sound with the 
aim in view of stimulation and vivification, working thus 
in groups and under the guidance of a Master. 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 37 

3 — By frequent attempts to definitely control the 
lower self, a thing distasteful to the Ego, whose tendency 
is to rest content with consciousness and aspiration on its 
own plane. Forget not that the Ego itself has somewhat 
to wrestle with. The refusal to incarnate is not found only 
on spiritual levels, but is found also on that of the Higher 
Self. Certain developments also, incidental to the factors 
of time and space (as understood in the three worlds) are 
aimed at by the Ego, such as the increase of the causal 
periphery through the study of divine telepathy, systemic 
psychology and the knowledge of the laws of fire. 
Relationship of the Ego to other egos. 

In this relationship, certain things need to be remem- 
bered : — 

The factor of periodicity. Egos that are in in- 
carnation, and egos that are out of incarnation are differ- 
entiated and capable of different work. Egos whose re- 
flections are in incarnation are more limited than those 
who are not. It is almost as if the Higher Self were 
directed downwards, or willingly circumscribing itself to 
three-dimensioned existence, whereas the egos out of in- 
carnation are not so limited but work in another direction 
or dimension. The difference lies in the focusing of at- 
tention, during physical plane life. The matter is hard 
for you to grasp, is it not so? I scarcely know how to ex- 
press the difference more clearly. It is perhaps as if the 
incarnating egos were more positive, and the non-incarnat- 
ing egos more negative. 

The factor of activity. This is largely a matter of 
ray, and affects closely the relationship between egos. 
Those on similar rays coalesce and vibrate more 
readily to each other than those on different rays, and it 
js only as the second or wisdom aspect is developed that 
synthesis becomes possible. 



38 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

On the third subplane of the mental plane egos are 
separated into groups — individual separation exists not, 
but group separation can be felt, incidental to ray and 
point in evolution. 

On the second subplane the groups become merged 
and blend, and from their forty-nine groups are formed 
(by merging) forty-two. The process of synthesis might 
be tabulated as follows: 

ilst subplane 35 groups, 7x5 
2nd subplane 42 groups, 7x6 
3rd subplane 49 groups, 7x7 

Buddhic plane ( 3rd subplane 28 groups, 7x4 

/ 1st subplane 21 groups, 7x3 

Atmic plane Atomic subplane 14 groups, 7x2 

Monadic plane 7 great groups 

I have given a few hints here. It is so little, compared 
with what will later be known when those of you now 
studying expand the consciousness still further, but it is 
all I can as yet impart, and only this has been given with 
the intent of showing how much has to be considered, when 
meditation forms are duly set by a Master. He has to 
take into wise consideration the egoic ray, and the con- 
dition of the causal body in its relationship to the lower 
self and to the Hierarchy. The state of the body must be 
known, and its content ; its relationship to other egos must 
be duly considered, for all is in group formation. Medi- 
tation must therefore be given which is in line with the 
group to which the Ego is assigned, for as each man medi- 
tates he contacts not only his own Ego but also his egoic 
group and through that group the Master to Whom he is 
consequently linked, though the efficacy of a meditation 
depends upon the work being done in an occult manner 
and under law. The group significance of meditation is 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 39 

little understood, but the above thoughts are commended 
to you for your wise study. 

June 17, 1920 
5 — Immediate Need of Period and Man's Availability. 

Today we will consider factor five in deciding methods 
of Meditation, and will deal with the need of the particular 
period and the suitability of the man to meet the need. 

Let us first of all briefly recapitulate, for the value 
of reiteration is profound. We have taken up briefly the 
factor of the egoic ray, as it is considered by a teacher in 
assigning a meditation, and we have seen how each ray 
aimed at the same goal along a different route, and that 
each ray necessitated a different type of meditation. We 
have touched on the modification of the meditation through 
consideration of the personality ray. Then we took up 
the factor of time as shown in the causal body, its point 
of development, and the relationship of that body to its 
three lower expressions, finishing yesterday with a few 
brief hints anent the causal body on its own level and its 
scope of consciousness. All this will have indicated to 
you how wise must be the teacher who presumes to indi- 
cate a meditation. One point I would here interpolate : — 
No meditation that is truly and occultly suitable can be 
assigned by a teacher who has not the capacity of causal 
consciousness and contact. When the teacher knows the 
note, the rate of vibration and the colour, then he can 
wisely assign, but not before. Before that time, general- 
isation only is possible, and a meditation given that may 
approximate the need and also be safe. 

Another factor enters now, — a factor that varies 
somewhat according to the need of the period. All cycles 
are not as fundamentally important. The periods in a 
cycle that are of real moment are the termini, and those 



40 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

where overlapping and merging occnr. They demonstrate 
on the physical plane in great revolutions, gigantic cata- 
clysms, and fundamental upheavals in all three depart- 
ments of the Hierarchy, — the department of the World 
Teacher, that of the Head of a root-race and that of the 
Euler of civilisation or of force. At the points of merging 
in a cycle, cross-currents are found, and all the system 
seems to be in a chaotic condition. The middle part of a 
cycle, where the incoming vibration is stabilised and the 
old has passed away, manifests in a period of calm and ap- 
parent equilibrium. 

At no time in the history of the race has this been 
better shown than in the present half century. The sixth 
Ray of Devotion passes away and the Eay of Ceremonial 
Law enters and with that entering comes a swinging into 
prominence of the outstanding features and faculties of 
the department of force and activity, the synthesis, forget 
not, of the four minor rays. Therefore you have the fight- 
ing for ideals and the devoted adherence to a cause, as 
demonstrated under the ray of the Master Jesus; there- 
fore the clashing in every field of endeavor of the idealists 
(right or wrong) and their bitter warfare. What was the 
world war but the culmination of two opposing ideals, 
lighting it out on the physical plane? — it was an instance 
of the force of the sixth ray. Now will come, as the sixth 
ray passes out, a gradual cessation of the clashing, and 
the gradual domination of organisation, rule and order 
under the sway of the incoming force, that of the ray of the 
Master R — . Out of the present turbulence will arise the 
ordered and organised form of the new world. Gradually 
the new rhythm will impose itself on the disorganised com- 
munities of men, and instead of social chaos as now you 
will have social order and rule; instead of the religious 
differences and the differentiated sects of the many so- 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 41 

called religions, you will have religious expression itself 
regulated into form and all ordered by law; instead of 
economic and political strain and stress will be seen the 
harmonious working of the system under certain funda- 
mental forms; all will be dominated by ceremonial with 
the inner results aimed at by the Hierarchy gradually tak- 
ing shape. Forget not that in the apotheosis of law and 
order and their resultant forms and limitations lies, to- 
wards the close (I choose my words with deliberation), a 
fresh period of chaos, and the escape of the imprisoned 
life from even those limitations, bearing with it the im- 
parted faculty and the essence of the development aimed 
at by the Logos of the seventh Ray. 

Such is the situation from time to time down through 
the ages. Each ray sweeps into power, bearing its own 
incarnating Spirits to whom the period marks a point of 
least resistance comparatively. They contact six other 
types of force in the worlds and six other groups of beings 
who must be impressed by that force and be carried for- 
wards in its sweep towards the universal goal. Such is 
also the specific situation in the period in which you live, 
a period wherein the seventh Logos of Ceremonial Law 
and Order seeks to straighten out the temporary chaos, 
and aims at the reduction within limits of the life escaping 
from the old and worn-out forms. The new forms are 
needed now and will be adequate. It is only after the 
middle period in a new cycle that limitation will again be 
felt and the attempt to escape be started anew. 

Therefore the wise teacher at this time considers the 
situation and weighs the effect of the incoming ray on the 
spirits in incarnation. Here, therefore, you have a third 
ray and its bearing to be considered in the assigning of 
meditation. Complex you feel the task to be? Fortunately 
the Hall of Wisdom equips its graduates for the task. 



42 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

At this particular period the aspect of the FORM in 
meditation (whether meditation based principally on the 
egoic ray or on the personality ray) will be much devel- 
oped. You can look to see very definite forms built up 
and assigned, both to individuals and to groups, resulting 
in an increase of white magic, and the consequent result- 
ant, on the physical plane, of law and order. The coming 
period of reconstruction goes forward in line with the ray, 
and its ultimate success and achievement is more nearly 
possible than perhaps is looked for. The Great Lord 
comes in under the law and naught can stop His approach. 

Just now the great need of the time is for those who 
understand the law and can work with it. Now is the op- 
portunity, too, for the development of that principle and 
the training of people in the helping of the world. 

The minor Rays of Harmony and Science respond 
quickly to this seventh influence ; by that statement I mean 
that their monads are easily influenced in this direction. 
The monads of the sixth Ray of Devotion find conformity 
more difficult, until nearing the point of synthesis. The 
monads of the first and second rays find in this ray a field 
of expression. First ray monads have a direct link with 
this ray and seek to wield the law through power, whilst 
second ray monads, being the synthetic type, guide and 
rule through love. 

I think I have today given you enough to engender 
thought on this fifth factor. This is all I seek to do. To 
the guiding light of the intuition is the rest left and what 
that inner guide reveals is of more value to the individual 
than aught exoterically imparted. Therefore, ponder and 
consider. 

June 18, 1920 
Some Words of Cheer. 

It is only as the disciple is willing to relinquish 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 43 

all in the service of the Great Ones, and to hold naught 
back, that liberation is achieved, and the body of desire 
becomes transmuted into the body of the higher intuition. 
It is the serving perfectly each day — with no thought or 
calculation about the future — that brings a man to the 
position of the perfect Server. And, may I suggest one 
thing? All care and anxiety is based primarily on selfish 
motive. You fear further pain, you shrink from further 
sad experience. It is not thus that the goal is reached; 
it is reached by the path of renunciation. Perhaps it may 
mean the renunciation of joy, or the renunciation of good 
reputation, or the renunciation of friends, and the renun- 
ciation of all that the heart clings to. I say perhaps ; I say 
not, it is so. I but seek to point out to you that if that is 
the way you are to reach your goal, then for you it is the 
perfect way. Aught that brings you rapidly to Their Pres- 
ence and to Their Lotus Feet, is by you to be desired and 
eagerly welcomed. 

Cultivate daily, therefore, that supreme desire that 
seeks solely the commendation of the inner Guide and 
Teacher, and the egoic response to good action dispassion- 
ately performed. 

Should bereavement come your way, smile through it 
all ; it will end in a rich reward and the return of all that 
has been lost. Should scorn and despisings be your lot, 
smile still, for only the look of commendation that comes 
from the Master is the one to seek. Should lying tongues 
take action, fear not, but forge ahead. A lie is a thing 
of earth and can be left behind as a thing too vile to be 
touched. The single eye, the unalloyed desire, the con- 
secrated purpose, and the ear that turns in deafness to all 
earth's noise — such is the aim for the disciple. I say no 
more. I but desire that you do not dissipate needless force 



U ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

in vain imaginings, feverish speculations and troubled ex- 
pectations. 

6 — The Groups, Inner and Outer, with which the Pupil is 

Affiliated. 

The point for consideration today is of practical in- 
terest. It deals with the factor of a man's groups. The 
relationship to a Master we have somewhat considered, 
and I will therefore proceed with the instruction on the 
group connection. 

We showed yesterday the importance of meditation 
in connection with the group to which a man is allied on 
egoic levels. Today we deal with the group to which he 
may be called on earth. This group is not exactly a re- 
flection of the group on egoic levels as might be antici- 
pated, for only certain units of an egoic group will be in 
incarnation at any one time. We deal with the Law of 
Cause and Effect, as demonstrated in the groups national, 
religious or family. 
Four groups connected with the pupils. 

A man, when in incarnation, has four sets of people 
to consider as his group : — 

1. The big national group to which he belongs, the 
karma of which (through aggregation of numbers) is so 
strong that he cannot break away from it even if he will. 
Certain racial characteristics, certain temperamental tend- 
encies are his because they are hidden in the racial phys- 
ical body, and he must carry that constitution, and the 
tendencies inherent in that particular type of body, 
throughout his life on earth. That body provides the 
needed lesson, or (as evolution proceeds) it provides the 
best body for the type of work that has to be accomplished. 
An oriental type of body has one set of qualifications, and 
an occidental body has another set, and equally good, if 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 45 

J might so express it. I seek here to make this point clear, 
for the tendency of the westerner is to ape the oriental 
and to endeavor to force his vibrations to the same key 
as that of the oriental. At times, this causes concern to 
the inner Teachers, and occasionally leads to trouble in 
the vehicles. 

There has been too much tendency to believe that to be 
an oriental holds the goal for all. Forget not that even 
the Great Ones Themselves are not all orientals, and the 
Masters in European bodies are of equal accomplishment 
to the better known Eastern Adepts. Ponder on this. It 
needs much wise consideration, hence my emphasis of the 
fact. When more is known along these lines, and when 
schools of meditation are founded and conducted on truly 
occult lines by graduated Teachers, forms of meditation 
will be planned, suited to nationality and to the tempera- 
mental differences existing among nations. Each nation 
has its virtues and each has its defects; it will therefore 
be the work of the superintending Teacher to apportion 
meditations that will intensify the virtues and remedy the 
defects. The field opened up by these ideas is so vast that 
I cannot deal with it here. Specialists will later take up 
the problem, and the time comes when the orient and the 
Occident will each have their own schools, subject to the 
same basic rules and under the superintendence of the 
same inner Teachers, but wisely differing on certain points, 
and (though aiming at the same goal) following different 
routes. You will later see these schools founded in each 
nation; admission into them will not be easy of attain- 
ment, but each applicant for instruction will be subjected 
to a drastic entrance examination. You will find each 
school will differ somewhat, not in fundamentals but in 
methods of application, due to the wise discrimination of 
the Head of the School. This Head, being of the same 



46 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

nationality as the pupils, and having the faculties of the 
causal body fully developed, will apply the method to the 
immediate need. 

Later I may further expand the future of the medi- 
tation schools for your edification, but I seek now prin- 
cipally to generalise. 

2 — The second group, which is of importance in the 
life of the pupil, is his family group, involving its special 
family heredity and characteristics. Every man, who has 
reached a point in evolution where occult meditation is 
desirable and possible, has entered some particular family 
from deliberate choice: — 

a — To work off karma as rapidly as may be. 

b — Because of the physical vehicle it provides. 
You will easily see, therefore that in the assigning of oc- 
cult meditation to be carried out on the physical plane and 
in a physical vehicle, it will be the concern of the Teacher 
to know somewhat of the physical pedigree and the in- 
herent characteristics of the pupil, both from the point of 
view of finding the line of least resistance and of demon- 
strating what must be overcome. ( Some of you who medi- 
tate are apt to be so engrossed straining after intuitional 
consciousness that you overlook the very necessary physi- 
cal vehicle.) The physical brain and the conformity of 
the head play a large part in the process and must not be 
overlooked in the future as they are at present. This is 
necessarily so, for the dearth of trained teachers in the 
physical bodies is so insuperable at present. 

Therefore the family group is the second thing of mo- 
ment that enters into consideration, and the matter is of 
more vital importance than perhaps you think. 

In the coming schools of meditation there will be 



ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 47 

records kept as to the pupil's forbears, his family history, 
the progress of his youth and life and his medical history. 
This record will be minutely accurate, and much will be 
learnt this way. The life will be regulated and the scien- 
tific purification of the physical body will be one of the 
first things attempted. Incidentally (in speaking of these 
schools) I would like to urge that you picture not some 
isolated spot for their location. In the world, yet not of 
the world is the ideal, and only in the advanced stages or 
just prior to taking Initiation will the pupil be permitted 
to retire for periods of any length. It is the inner detach- 
ment that counts, and the ability to dissociate the self from 
the environment that matters, and not so much the physi- 
cal plane isolation. 

3 — The third group that a man has to consider is the 
particular band of servers to which he may be affiliated. 
Any man who is ready for occult meditation must have 
demonstrated first for many lives his intelligent willing- 
ness to serve and to work among the sons of men. Un- 
selfish service is the bed-rock of the life of the occultist, 
and danger lurks when it exists not, and occult meditation 
carries a menace. Hence, the man must be an active 
worker in some part of the field of the world, and on the 
inner planes he must likewise be playing his part. Cer- 
tain things will then have to be considered by the Teacher : 
a — The group work a man is doing and how best he 

may be qualified to serve better in that group. 
1) — The type of a man's work, and his relationship in 
that work to his associates — a very important oc- 
cult factor — will be carefully weighed before a 
meditation is assigned, and certain types of medi- 
tation (perhaps desired by the man himself) may 
be withheld on account of their being unsuited to 
the work in hand, and because of their tendency 



48 ASSIGNMENT OF MEDITATION 

to develop certain qualities which might handicap 
the server in his work. Those meditations which 
will increase ability to serve will ever be the aim. 
The greater aim includes, after all, the lesser. 
4 — The fourth group that has a place in the calcula- 
tions of the Teacher is that to which a man belongs on the 
inner plane, the band of helpers to which he is assigned, 
or — if he is a disciple, — the group of pupils of which he 
forms a part. Their particular type of group work will be 
considered, the capacity of the pupil to progress with his 
felloAvs will be fostered, and his ability to fill his appointed 
post will be increased. 

I have but hinted in these last few communications at 
the many things that arise for consideration in the assign- 
ment of a meditation. You have three rays to consider, 
the point in evolution of the causal body and its inter- 
relation on its own plane with its group, with the Hier- 
archy, and Avith its reflection, the Personality. You have 
also the factor of karma, the need of the time and of the 
man himself, and his relationship with four different 
groups. 

All this is possible and will some day be recognised, 
but the period of laying a foundation is not yet over, and 
for long will remain with you. The control of the mind 
is the present aim of meditation, and must always be the 
elementary step. 



LETTER IV 
THE USE OF THE SACRED WORD IN MEDITATION 

1 — Fundamental postulates. 
2 — The creative effect of the Sacred Word. 
3 — The destructive effect of the Sacred Word. 
4 — Pronunciation and use of the Sacred Word. 
5 — Its effect on the centres and on each body. 



49 



LETTER IV 
THE USE OF THE SACRED WORD IN MEDITATION 

June 19th, 1920 

The subject that we are to deal with today is of such 
profundity and of such vital moment that your shrinking 
from even considering it is exceedingly natural. No mat- 
ter what we may say upon the matter, we can but touch 
the fringe of it, and the depths of what will be left unsaid 
may seem so great, that the data communicated may as- 
sume too small proportions. 
Fundamental Postulates. 

First, I seek to lay down certain basic postulates 
which, though realised as mental concepts, may yet be too 
deep for easy comprehension. 

These postulates are five in number — five out of a 
number too vast for your apprehension. These postulates 
themselves are based on certain fundamental facts, and 
these facts (seven in number) are not as yet all compre- 
hended. H.P.B. touched on three in his statement of the 
fundamentals of the Secret Doctrine. Four yet remain 
hid, though the fourth is emerging somewhat through the 
study of psychology and mental science. The other three 
fundamentals will emerge during the next three rounds. 
This round will see the apprehension of the fourth funda- 
mental. 

These postulates are as follows : 

1 — That all that exists is based on sound or on the 
Word. 

2 — That differentiation is the result of sound. 

3 — That on each plane the Word has a different effect. 



50 



THE SACRED WORD 51 

4 — That according to the note of the Word, or the 
vibration of the sound, will the work of building-in 
or casting-out be accomplished. 

5 — That the one three-fold Word has seven keys, and 
these seven keys have their own snbtones. 

In the apprehension of these basic facts lies hid mnch 
light on the nse of the Word in meditation. 

In the great original sounding forth of the Sacred 
Word (the three original Breaths, with their seven sounds, 
— pne Breath for each of the three solar systems) the note 
was different, and the sounds pitched to a different key. 

In system one, the completion of the First Breath, the 
culmination, was the sounding forth, in note majestic, of 
the note FA, — the note which forms the basic note of this 
system, the note of manifested nature. This note IS, and 
to it must be supplemented the second note for this the 
second system. It is not fully sounded or rounded out, 
nor to the end of the greater cycle will it be completed. 
The Logos sounds it now, and should He cease to breathe 
it forth, the whole system would disappear into complete 
obscuration. It would mark the end of manifestation. 

In system two, the present system, the keynote may 
Dot be disclosed. It is one of the secrets of the sixth Initia- 
tion, and must not be revealed. 

In system three the final third note will be added to 
the basic notes of the first and second systems, and then 
what will you have? You will have the major third of 
the Logoic Personality in its completeness, a correspond- 
ence to the major third of the microcosm, — one note for 
each plane. We have been told that the Solar Logos, on 
the cosmic planes, works at the problem of cosmic mind; 
that He functions in His physical solar system, is polar- 
ised in His cosmic astral, or emotional, body, and is de- 
veloping cosmic mind. So, on the planes of the solar sys- 



52 THE SACRED WORD 

tern, is it as with the microcosm. In the realisation of this 
correspondence and its wise application lies illumination 
on the use of the Sacred Word in meditation. 

System I corresponds to the physical body. 

System II corresponds to the emotional body. 

System III corresponds to the mental body. 

By the study of the Word or Sound in the formation of 
these three will help come on the use of that Word in the 
building of the intuitional vehicle, and the purification 
of the personality. 

Now we will divide up what we have to say under 
four heads, and take up each one of them separately : — 

1 — The creative effect of the Sacred Word. 
2 — The destructive effect of the Sacred Word. 
3 — Its pronunciation and use: — 

a — In individual meditation. 

b — In group and congregational work. 

c— For certain specific ends. 
4 — Its effect on the bodies and centres, and its efficacy 
in effecting egoic alignment. 

June 20, 1920 
The Dual Effect of the Sacred Word; constructive and 
destructive. 

We can today continue with the subject we were con- 
sidering yesterday. We divided the theme into four 
divisions and we will take the first two, the effect, — crea- 
tive and destructive — of the Word. Just a few broad 
hints will be possible, to form a basis for the intelligent 
application of the law. 

First, let us repeat the truism that the worlds are the 
effect of sound. First life, then matter; later the attrac- 



THE SACRED WORD 53 

tion of the matter to the life for purposes of its manifest- 
ation and expression, and the orderly arrangement of 
that matter into the necessary forms. Sound formed the 
allying factor, the propelling impulse, and the attractive 
medium. Sound, in an occult and deeply metaphysical 
sense, stands for that which we term "the relation be- 
tween", and is the creating intermediary, the linking third 
factor in the process of manifestation. It is the akasha. 
On the higher planes it is the a£ent of the great Entity 
Who wields the cosmic law of gravitation in its relation 
to our solar system, whilst on the lower planes it 
demonstrates as the astral light, the great agent of reflec- 
tion, that fixes and perpetuates on its vibratory bosom 
the past, the present and the future, or that which we call 
TIME. In direct relation to the lower vehicle it mani- 
fests as electricity, prana and the magnetic fluid. A 
simplification of the idea may come to you perhaps in the 
recognition of sound as the agent of the law of attraction 
and repulsion. 
The seven great Breaths. 

In sounding forth the Sacred Word in its seven-fold 
completeness for this solar system, the Logos gathered 
through inspiration, the matter needed for manifestation, 
and started the evolution of that matter at the first great 
Breath. 

At the second great Breath came differentiation and 
the instilling of the second aspect logoic. 

At the third great Breath the activity aspect was de- 
monstrated, matter was impregnated with that faculty, 
and five-fold evolution became a possibility. 

At the fourth great Breath certain of the Hierarchies 
responded, and the great Builders more clearly saw the 
plan. There is a definite connection between the fourth 
Breath and the fourth Creative Hierarchy, that of the 



54 THE SACRED WORD 

human Spirits. This fourth note of the Logos has a special 
significance for the human Spirit, and an unique effect in 
this earth and in this fourth cycle. The relativity of it 
is such that it is difficult for you in any way to realize that 
effect. It demonstrates as far as you can grasp it in the 
harmonic note of the fourth plane and ray. That note 
permeates the peoples of the world at this time and ever 
since the fourth root-race. It shows itself in the struggle 
of humanity to grasp the ideal of harmony and peace, and 
in the world-wide aspiration in that direction. 

This fourth breath is especially applicable to human 
evolution. 

You have therefore : 

Subtone one of the three-fold Word gave the first vi- 
bratory note and started the movement of the spheres — 
solar or atomic. It embodies Will. 

Subtone two of the three-fold Word instilled the 
second aspect and called the cosmic ruler of the synthetic 
ray into manifestation. It marked duality or reflex love, 

Subtone three of the three-fold Word made our five- 
fold evolution possible. It is the basic note of the five 
lower planes. It marked activity or adaptability. 

Subtone four of the three-fold Word is the sound of 
the Human Hierarchy, and in its entirety might be called 
the "cry of Man." 

Each of the sounds directly called into manifestation 
one Ray with all that enters in on a Ray. Each sound 
demonstrates particularly on one plane, being the domin- 
ant note of that plane. 

The fifth great Breath has an effect peculiar to itself, 
for in its reverberation it holds the key to all, — it is the 
BREATH OF FIRE. It created a similar vibration to 
that of the cosmic mental level, and is closely allied with 



THE SACRED WORD 55 

the first Breath. It is the dominant note (in technical 
musical terminology) of the solar system, just as the 
third Breath corresponds to the major third. It is the 
note of the Logos. Each breath attracts to the Logos for 
purposes of manifestation, some entity on cosmic levels. 
The reflection of the method can be seen in the microcosm 
when the Ego sounds the egoic note in the three worlds and 
prepares to manifest or to come into incarnation. The 
note attracts around the permanent atoms or nuclei ade- 
quate matter for the purpose of manifestation, and that 
matter is itself informed by some vital entity. Similarly, 
the cosmic Lords of Fire, the great informing Entities of 
our solar system respond when this fifth subtone is 
sounded forth. Again, the Lords of the Flame within the 
solar system itself responded when the microcosm sounded 
the fifth subtone of the monadic note and involved them- 
selves in human evolution. 

The sixth great Breath drew to itself the Lords of 
the mysterious Pentacle, the volatile essences of the emo- 
tional plane, the desire faculty clothed in matter, the 
watery aspect of the logoic life. 

At the sounding of the seventh subtone crystallisation 
occurred and absolute conformity to the law of approach. 
It resulted in the dense aspect of manifestation, the point 
of deepest experience. You will note its connection, there- 
fore, with the Ray of Ceremonial Law, one of the great 
building rays, — a ray which adjusts matter, under set 
forms, to the desired shapes. 

You may ask here: Why have I thus apparently 
digressed? It seems to you wide of the mark and beside 
the question? Let me elucidate. The microcosm has but to 
repeat the work of the macrocosm. The Spirit or monad 
on his own plane sounds forth the note (his hierarchical 
note) and descends into incarnation. It is both the note 



56 THE SACRED WORD 

of attraction and of out-breathing. The personality — the 
reflection of that monad at the densest point in evolution, 
— is linked to the monad by the attractive force of the 
Sacred Word sounded by its monad on its note and on its 
own subtone. 

But the work of outbreathing is already accomplished. 
It is involution. The work of in-breathing or re-absorption 
into the source progresses. When the Personality finds 
for itself (after lives of stress and search) its spiritual 
note with the right key and subtone, what is the result? 
It accords with its monadic note, it vibrates to the same 
measure, it pulsates with the same colour, the line of least 
resistance is at last found, and the indwelling life is liber- 
ated and returns to its own plane. But this work of dis- 
covery is very slow and the man has to pick out the chord 
with infinite care and pains. First, he finds out the third of 
the Personality and sounds that forth, the result being an 
ordered harmonious life in the three worlds. Then he finds 
the dominant fifth of the Ego, the keynote of the chord, 
and sounds that in unison with the Personality note. The 
result is that a vacuum is formed (if I may so express it) 
and the liberated man with his informing soul, — the three- 
fold spirit, plus mind and experience — the Three com- 
pleted by the Quarternary and the Fifth, escapes upward 
to the Monad. It is the law of attraction demonstrating 
through sound. Like to like and kind to kind, driven 
thereto by unity of sound, of colour and of rhythm. 

This leads to the second factor we are considering, 
the destructive factor. In emancipation comes the break- 
ing of the chains, in liberation comes the abolition of the 
old forms, in the domination of matter is seen the libera- 
tion of spirit. So, in the sounding of the Sacred Word in 
its seven-fold sense, comes the escaping from the shattered 
forms. First in the out-breathing the attraction of matter, 



THE SACRED WORD 57 

then in the in-breathing the gradual shattering of the 
material forms and the leaving of them behind. 

Meditation and the Word. 

I have pictured this for yon on the systemic scale. 
Now let me apply it to meditation and see how it will work. 
Man, when meditating, aims at two things: — 

a — At the formation of thoughts, at the bringing 
down to the concrete levels of the mental plane, 
of abstract ideas and intuitions. This is what 
might be termed meditation tvith seed. 

b — At the aligning of the ego, and at the creation of 
that vacuum betwixt the physical brain and the 
Ego, which results in the divine outpouring, and 
the consequent shattering of the forms and subse- 
quent liberation. This might be termed medita- 
tion without seed. 

At a certain period in evolution the two blend, the 
seed is dropped and the vacuum is then created, not so 
much between the higher and the lower vehicles as between 
them and the intuitional plane or the plane of harmony. 

Therefore, in the sounding of the Sacred Word in 
meditation man should (if rightly sounding it forth) be 
able to do both the creative work and the destructive work 
as does the Logos. It will be the reflection in the micro- 
cosm of the cosmic process. He will attract to his bodies 
matter of the finer kind and cast out that which is coarser. 
He will formulate thought forms that attract to themselves 
finer matter and repudiate that which is of a lower vibra- 
tion. He should so sound the Word that alignment will 
be automatically made, and the necessary vacuum created, 
eventuating in a downflow from above. All these effects 
can transpire when the Word is correctly intoned, and 



58 THE SACRED WORD 

each meditation should see the man more aligned, should 
disperse some of the matter of low vibration in one or 
other of his bodies, should open up the channel to a greater 
extent, and so provide a more adequate vehicle for the 
illumination from higher levels. 

But — until correctness is possible — the effect pro- 
duced by the use of the Word is very little, which is fortu- 
nate for the man who uses it. In the studying of the seven 
great Breaths and their effect on each plane, a man can 
find out much that should transpire on the different sub- 
planes of each plane, especially in relation to his own 
development. In the studying of the basic note of the 
solar system, (which was stabilised in System I) much 
can be found out about the use of the Word on the physical 
plane. A hint lies here for consideration. In the endeavor 
to find the note for this solar system, the note of love and 
wisdom, the student will make the necessary communica- 
tion between the emotional or desire plane and the in- 
tuitional plane, and find out the secret of the emotional 
plane. In the study of the Word on mental levels and its 
effect in form building, the key to the erection of Solomon's 
Temple will be discovered, and the pupil will develop the 
faculties of the causal body, and eventually find liberation 
from the three worlds. 

The student must remember, nevertheless, that he has 
first to find his personality note, and then the egoic, before 
he can touch the monadic chord. When he has done that 
he has, for himself, sounded his own three-fold Word, and 
is now an intelligent creator animated by love. The goal 
is reached. 

June 21, 1920 
Some Practical Hints. 

I wish to make clear this afternoon that it is not 
possible for me, nor wise and appropriate to give to you 



THE SACEED WOED 59 

different keys in which the Sacred Word can be intoned; 
I can do no more than indicate general principles. Each 
human being, each unit of consciousness, is so unlike any 
other that the individual need can only be supplied when 
full causal consciousness exists on the part of the teacher, 
and when the pupil has himself reaeched a point where he 
is willing to know, to dare and to be silent. The dangers 
involved in the misuse of the Word are so great that we . . 
dare do no more than indicate basic ideas, and fundamental 
principles, and then leave the aspirant to work out for 
himself the points necessary for his own development and 
to carry out the needed experiments until he finds for him- 
self that which he needs. Only that which is the result 
of self -effort, of hard struggle and of bitter experience is 
of permanent and lasting value. Only as the disciple — 
through failure, through success, through hardly won 
victories, and the bitter hours that succeed defeat — adjusts 
himself to the inner condition, will he find the use of the 
Word scientifically and experimentally of value. His lack 
of will defends him largely from the misuse of the Word, 
whilst his endeavor to love guides him eventually to its 
correct intoning. Only that which we KNOW for our- 
selves becomes inherent faculty. The statements of a 
teacher, no matter how profoundly wise he may be, are but 
mental concepts until experimentally part of a man's life. 
Hence, I can but point the way. I may give but general 
hints ; the rest must be threshed out by the student of med- 
itation for himself. 

Pronunciation and Use in Individual Meditation. 

I shall now be very practical. I speak for the man on 
the Probationary Path, who has therefore an intellectual 
grasp of what has to be accomplished. He realizes approx- 
imately his place in evolution and the work to be done if 



60 THE SACRED WORD 

lie would some day pass through the portal of Initiation. 
In this way what I will say will teach the majority who 
study these letters The man undertakes to medi- 
tate and seeks to conform to the necessary rules. Let me 
give a few preliminary hints: — 

The aspirant seeks daily a quiet spot where he can 
be free from interference and interruption. If wise, he 
will always seek the same spot, for he will there build up 
a shell around it that will serve as a protection and make 
the desired higher contact more easy. The matter of that* 
spot, the matter of what you might term the surrounding 
space, becomes then attuned to a certain vibration (the 
man's own highest vibration, reached in consecutive medi- 
tations) which makes it easier for him each time to start 
at his highest and so eliminate a long preliminary keying 
up. 

The aspirant composes himself to a position in 
which he can be unconscious of his physical body. No 
hard and fast rules can be laid down as the physical 
vehicle itself has here to be considered, — it may be handi- 
capped in some way, stiff or crippled. Ease of posture is 
to be aimed at, coupled with alertness and attention. 
Slothfulness and laxness lead a man nowhere. The posi- 
tion most suitable for the average is cross-legged upon the 
ground, sitting against somewhat that affords support to 
the spine. In intensest meditation or when the aspirant 
is very proficient and the centres rapidly awakening (per- 
haps even the inner fire pulsating at the base of the spine) 
the back should be erect without support. The head 
should not be thrown back as tension is to be avoided, but 
it should be held level, or with the chin slightly dropped. 
When this is done, that tenseness that is the characteristic 
of so many will be gone and the lower vehicle will be re- 



THE SACRED WORD 61 

laxed. The eyes should be closed and the hands folded in 
the lap. 

Then let the aspirant note if his breathing is regu- 
lar, steady and uniform. Should this be so let him then re- 
lax his entire person, holding the mind positive and the 
physical vehicle supple and responsive. 

Then let him visualise his three bodies, and having 
decided whether his meditation shall be in the head or 
within .the heart (I will later take up this point) let him 
withdraw his consciousness there and focus himself in one 
or other of the centres. In so doing let him deliberately 
realise that he is a Son of God, returning to the Father; 
that he is God Himself, seeking to find the God-conscious- 
ness which is His ; that he is a creator, seeking to create ; 
that he is the lower aspect of Deity seeking alignment with 
the higher. Then let him three times intone the Sacred 
Word, breathing it forth gently the first time and thereby 
affecting the mental vehicle ; more loudly the second time, 
thereby stabilising the emotional vehicle; and in a still 
louder tone the final time, acting then upon the physical 
vehicle. The effect upon each body will be three-fold. If 
correctly chanted with the centre of consciousness steadily 
held Avithin whichever centre has been chosen, the effect 
will be as follows : 

On Mental Levels : 

a — The contacting of the head centre, causing it to 
vibrate. The stilling of the lower mind. 

b — Linking up with the Ego to a more or less degree, 
but always to some extent through the permanent 
atom. 

c — The driving out of coarse particles and the build- 
ing in of finer. 



62 THE SACRED WORD 

On Emotional Levels : 

a — The definite stabilisation of the emotional body 
through the permanent atom, and the contacting 
and setting in motion of the heart centre, 
b — The driving out of coarse matter and the render- 
ing of the emotional or desire body more colour- 
less, so that it will be a true reflector of the higher, 
c — It causes a sudden rush of feeling from the atomic 
levels of the emotional plane to the intuitional 
plane, via the atomic channel that exists between 
the two. It sweeps upward and clarifies the 
channel. 
On the Physical Planes : 

a — Here the effect is very similar, but the primary 
effect is on the etheric body; it stimulates the 
divine flow, 
b — It passes beyond the periphery of the body and 
creates a shell that serves as a protection. It 
drives away discordant factors in the near environ- 
ment. 

June 22, 1920 
The Logoic Chord and Analogy. 

Now, let us proceed with the study of the use of the 
Sacred Word in its group application and in its employ- 
ment for certain specific ends. We have very briefly 
studied the Word as used by the individual who begins to 
meditate, — the effect of its use being very largely one of 
purification, stabilisation and centralisation. This is all 
that is possible until the student has reached a point where 
he may be allowed to sound the note in one of the subtones 
egoic. You will have in the egoic note just the same 
sequence as in the note Logoic. What had you there? You 
had a seven-fold chord of which the important points at 
our stage of development are: 



THE SACRED WORD 63 

1 — The basic note. 
2 — The major third. 
3 — The dominant or fifth. 
4 — The ultimate seventh. 

A hint may here be given along the line of analogy. 
There is a close connection between the fifth or dominant 
and the fifth principle, Manas or Mind, and, for this solar 
system (though not for the first or third), there is an 
interesting response between the fifth plane of mind and 
the dominant, and between the sixth plane of the emotions 
and the major third. From some angles in this connection 
the emotional vehicle forms a third vehicle for conscious- 
ness — counting the dense physical and the vehicle for 
prana or electrical vitality as two units. More I cannot 
say for the whole shifts and interpenetrates, but I have 
indicated food for thought. 

In the egoic note, — as before said — you have a similar 
sequence, for it is the reflection on its own plane of the 
Logoic. You will therefore have the basic note of the 
physical, the third of the emotional, and the fifth of the 
causal levels. When a man has mastered the key, and has 
found his own subtone then he will sound the Sacred Word 
with exactitude and thus reach the desired end ; his align- 
ment will be perfect, the bodies will be pure, the channel 
free from obstruction, and the higher inspiration will be 
possible. This is the aim of all true meditation and can be 
reached by the right use of the Word. In the meantime, 
owing to the absence of a teacher and the defects of the 
pupil, all that is now possible is to sound the Word as 
well as may be, knowing that danger does not lurk where 
there is sincerity of purpose, and that certain results, 
such as protection, quieting and correction may be achiev- 
ed. 



64 THE SACKED WOKD 

Group Use of the Word. 

In group formation the effect of the Word is intensified, 
provided the groups are correctly constituted, or rendered 
null and void and neutralised should the groups contain 
undesirable elements. Certain things, therefore, have to 
be ascertained before the Word may be used with adequacy 
by a group : — 

a — It is desirable that people on the same ray or on 

a complementary ray form a group, 
b — It is desirable that the Word be intoned on the 
same key, or in part harmonic. When this is done, 
the vibratory effect is far reaching and certain 
reactions will occur. 
What results, therefore, when the Word is correctly 
sounded by a group of people rightly intermingled? 

a — A strong current is set up that reaches the disciple 
or the Master responsible for the group and which 
enables him to put the group en rapport with the 
Brotherhood, permitting the channel to be cleared 
for the transmission of teaching, 
b — A vacuum is created that corresponds somewhat 
to the vacuum that should exist between the Ego 
and the personality, but this time between a group 
and Those on the inner side, 
c — If all conditions are right, it likewise results in a 
linking with the egoic groups of the involved per- 
sonalities, a stimulation of the causal bodies in- 
volved, and a linking of all three groups — the 
lower, the higher and the Brotherhood — in a tri- 
angle for the transmission of force, 
d — It has a definite effect on the physical vehicles 
of the lower group; it intensifies the vibration 
of the emotional bodies, driving out counter- 
vibration and swinging all into line with the higher 



THE SACRED WORD 65 

rhythm. This results in equilibrium ; it stimulates 
the lower mind yet at the same time opens the con- 
nection with the higher, which higher, entering 
in, stabilises the lower concrete mind, 
e — It attracts the attention of certain of the devas or 
angels whose work lies with the bodies of men, and 
enables them to do that work with greater exacti- 
tude and make contacts that later will be of use. 
f — It creates a protective shell around the group, 
which (though only temporary) leads to freedom 
from disturbance, enables the units of the group 
to work with greater ease and according to the law, 
and helps the inner Teachers to find the line of 
least resistance betwixt Themselves and those who 
seek Their instruction, 
g — It aids in the work of evolution. Infinitesimal 
that aid may be, yet every effort that leads to the 
free play of the law, that acts in any way on matter 
for its greater refining, that stimulates vibration, 
and facilitates the contact between the higher and 
the lower is an instrument in the hand of the Logos 
for the hastening of His plan. 
I have touched here upon certain effects incident upon 
the chanting of the Word in unison. Later, as the rules 
of occult meditation are understood and experimentally 
applied, these effects will be studied. As the race becomes 
more clairvoyant, they will also be tabulated and checked. 
The geometrical forms created by the individual, and by 
the group, in sounding forth the Word will be recorded 
and noted. The elimination of individuals from differ- 
ent groups and their assignment to other groups more 
suitable will be effected by judicious consideration of 
the work done by them. Later, as individuals develop the 
higher consciousness, wardens of groups must be chosen — 



66 THE SACRED WORD 

not only for their spiritual attainments and their intellect- 
ual capacity — but for their ability to see with the inner 
vision, and hence assist their members and group to right- 
ful plans and to correct development. 
Groups for Specific purposes. 

Groups will later be formed for specific purposes, 
which brings me to my third point, the use of the Word for 
certain calculated ends. 

Let me enumerate for you some of the aims groups 
will have in view when they form themselves, and by the 
use of the Sacred Word, coupled to the true occult medita- 
tion, achieve certain results. The time for this is not yet, 
and need arises not for detailed description, yet if things 
progress as desired, even you may see it somewhat worked 
out in your lifetime. 

1 — Groups for the purpose of working on the emo- 
tional body, with the object of development, of 
subjugation, and of clarification. 
2 — Groups for the purpose of mental development, of 
strengthening equilibrium, and the contacting of 
the higher mind. 
3 — Groups for the healing of the physical body. 
4 — Groups whose purpose is to effect alignment, and 
to clear the channel betwixt the higher and the 
lower. 
5 — Groups for the treatment of obsessions and mental 

diseases. 
6 — Groups whose work it will be to study reaction to 
the sounding of the Word, to record and tabulate 
the consequent geometrical forms, to note its effect 
on individuals in the groups, and to note the 
extraneous entities it draws by its attractive force. 
These must be rather advanced groups, capable of 
clairvoyant investigation. 



THE SACRED WORD 67 

7 — Groups that definitely work at making contact 
with the devas, and collaborating with them under 
the law. During the seventh ray activity, this will 
be much facilitated. 
8 — Groups that are definitely and scientifically work- 
ing on the laws of the rays, and studying colour and 
sound, their individual and group effects, and their 
inter-relation. This is necessarily a select group 
and only those of high spiritual attainment and 
those nearing Initiation will be permitted to take 
part. Forget not that these groups on the physical 
plane are but the inevitable working out into mani- 
festation of the inner groups of aspirants, pupils, 
disciples and initiates. 
9 — Groups that are definitely working under some one 
Master, and conforming to certain procedure laid 
down by Him. The members of these groups will 
therefore be chosen by the Master. 

10 — Groups working specifically under one of the three 
great departments and seeking — under expert guid- 
ance^ — to influence politically and religiously the 
world of men, and to speed the processes of evolu- 
tion as directed from the department of the Lord 
of Civilisation. Some of these groups will work 
under the Church, others under masonry, and 
others will work in connection with the Initiate 
heads of the great organizations. In considering 
this you need to remember that the whole world 
becomes ever more mental as time proceeds, — 
hence the ever-increased scope of this type of work. 

11 — Other groups will work entirely in what might be 
termed preparatory work for the future colony. 

12 — Problem groups, as they might be called, will be 
formed to deal with social, economic, political and 



68 THE SACRED WORD 

religious problems as they arise, studying the 
effects of meditation, colour and sound. 

13 — Still other groups will deal with child culture, 
with the individual training of people, with the 
guidance of persons on the probationary path, and 
with the development of the higher faculties. 

14 — Later, when the Great Lord, the Christ, comes 
with His Masters, there will be a few very esoteric 
groups, gathered out of all the others, where the 
members (through graduation and karmic right) 
will be trained for discipleship and for the first 
Initiation. There will be seven such groups or 
centres formed for definite occult training . . . Only 
those whose vibratory capacity is adequate will 
find their way there. 
I have given you enough to consider for today, and we 
will leave the consideration of point the fourth till to- 
morrow. 

June 23, 1920 
You are right in thinking that conditions today are 
not desirable. The whole world speeds towards a crisis — a 
crisis reconstructive, even though it seems to the onlooker 
to be destructive. On all sides, the tearing down of the 
old forms is progressing, nor is the work as yet fully ac- 
complished. Enough has, nevertheless, been done to per- 
mit of the erection of the scaffolding for the new building. 
In serenity and steady adherence to the next duty will 
come the simplification of that which must be done. 

Today we deal with the effect of the Word on the 
various centres, on each body, and its utility in aligning 
the bodies with the causal vehicle. This was our fourth 
point. The first two are closely allied, for the Sacred 



THE SACRED WORD 69 

Word, (when properly enunciated,) acts on the various 
bodies through the medium of the centres, and their astral 
and mental counterparts. Some of the effects, such as the 
elimination of undesirable matter, and the building in of 
new, the protective effect of the Word and its work of 
stabilisation and purification, we have somewhat touched 
upon. We will now focus our attention largely upon the 
centres and the result upon them of the sounding of the 
Word. 
The Seven Centres and the Sacred Word. 

As is our custom, let us divide our thoughts under the 
following heads. Tabulation has its value ; it systematises 
knowledge, thus tending to the orderly arrangement of the 
mental body; it facilitates recollection through the assist- 
ance of the eye. 

1 — Enumeration and discussion of the centres. 
2 — Growth and development of the centres. 
3 — The effect of meditation on the centres. 
4 — Their inter-relation in the work of alignment. 

First let me say that certain information that may 
seem to be the natural sequence and corollary of that 
which I have to impart will have to be withheld. The 
dangers involved through the injudicious development of 
the centres are too great for us to venture yet to give full 
and detailed instructions. We seek to develop Masters of 
Compassion, dispensers of the love of the universe. We 
seek not to develop Masters of Black Arts and specialists 
in ruthless self-expression at the expense of the uninitiated. 
Certain facts have been, and can be, imparted. They will 
lead to the development of the intuition, and inspire the 
seeker after light to more earnest endeavor. Others must 
be withheld for they would be weapons of great danger in 
the hands of the unscrupulous. If then it seems to you that 



70 THE SACRED WORD 

I have but imparted only sufficient to arouse interest, 
know then that that is my aim. When your interest and 
the interest of all aspirants is sufficiently roused naught 
can then be withheld from you. 

1 — Enumeration of the centres. 

The physical centres are, as you know : — 

1 — The base of the spine. 

2 — The solar plexus. 

3 — The spleen. 

4— The heart. 

5— The throat, 

6 — The pineal gland. 

7 — The pituitary body. 
This enumeration is correct, but I seek to give you an- 
other division, based on earlier imparted facts, those anent 
the solar system. These seven centres may be enumerated 
as five if we eliminate the spleen and count the two head 
centres as one. The five centres thus specified are applic- 
able to our five-fold evolution in this the second solar 
system. 

In the first solar system the three lower centres were 
developed and with them the occultist has naught to do. 
They form the basis of the development of the lower quar- 
ternary before individualisation, but are now transcended 
and the divine fire must be focalised in other and higher 
centres. 

The Spleen. 

The spleen, the third centre, has a specific purpose. 
It has its correspondence in the third or activity aspect, 
and in the third or activity (adaptability) ray, and is the 
basis of all the fundamental activities of the microcosm, 
and of the recurring adaptations of the microcosm to its 
environment, to its need and to the macrocosm. It con- 



THE SACRED WORD 71 

trols the selective processes of the microcosm ; it takes the 
vibratory force and energy of the macrocosm and trans- 
mutes it for the use of the microcosm. We might call 
it the organ of transmutation, and — as its functions are 
more completely understood, — it will be found that it pro- 
Tides a magnetic link between the conscious thinking three- 
fold man and his lower vehicles, regarding those lower 
vehicles as the Not-Self, and as themselves animated by 
informing entities. It is the life force contacting those 
entities that is the issue and aim. 

In its emotional counterpart, it is the organ of emo- 
tional vitality, again in the same sense as providing a link ; 
on the mental plane it serves somewhat the same purpose, 
only this time through this centre are the thought-forms 
vitalised by means of the energising will. I will not, there- 
fore deal more fully with this centre beyond these general 
indications. Few people have the faculty of stimulating 
it through the use of the Word, nor is it desirable that they 
should. It develops normally if the aspirant himself — as 
a totality — progresses as desired: — if his physical body 
receives adequate application of the life forces of the sun, 
if his emotional body is moved by high desire, and open to 
the downflow of force from the causal and intuitional 
levels, and if his mental life is intense, vibrant, and ani- 
mated by a powerful will. Then the spleen, with its inner 
counterparts, will progress and be in a healthy condition. 

We will therefore thus dispose of it and give no fur- 
ther place to it. 

The fundamental centres. 

The three fundamental centres of vital importance 
from the standpoint of the average man, polarised in his 
emotional body and living the normal life of the man of the 
world, are: 



72 THE SACRED WORD 

1 — The base of the spine. 
2 — The solar plexus. 
3 — The heart centre. 

The three major centres for the man nearing the Pro- 
bationary Path, and for the man who is aiming at a life 
of altruism, having examined the attractions of the three 
worlds, are: 

1 — The base of the spine. 

2— The heart. 

3— The throat. 
His solar plexus is left then to normal functioning, having 
served its purpose as a centre for the emotional focussing. 
The activity of the fire becomes more centred in the 
throat. 

The three major centres for the man on the Path itself 
in its two-fold divisions are: — 

1— The heart. 
2— The throat. 
3— The head. 

The divine activity has developed the solar plexus 
centre, is controlling all the centres below the solar plexus, 
and is passing upward in ordered progression until it is 
focussed and vivifying the head centres. 

Earlier we divided the life of the man into five main 
periods, tracing his development in each. We might (if 
we are careful to generalise widely) apply the same to the 
five centres. 

Period 1 — wherein the base of the spine is the most 
active in the purely rotary sense and not in a fourth-dimen- 
sional. The inner fire is focussed on the vivification of the 
organs of generation and on the functional physical life 
of the personality. 



THE SACRED WORD 73 

Period II — wherein the solar plexus is the goal of the 
attention of the fire and when the emotional counterpart 
vibrates synchronously. Two centres are thus vibrating, 
even though the measure be slow; the others are alive; 
pulsation can be seen, but there is no circular movement. 

Period III — The divine fire now mounts to the heart 
centre and the three rotate in ordered measured unison. 
I would point out that the vivification of any one centre 
causes an accession of force in all, and I would further 
point out that in the head are seven centres (three major 
and four minor) and that these centres directly correspond 
to one or other centre in the body. They are the synthesis, 
and, on the stimulation of their corresponding centre, re- 
ceive themselves a corresponding acquisition of rotary 
power. 

Period IV — marks the definite stimulation of the 
throat centre. All the creative activity of the three-fold 
man — physical, emotional and mental, — is turned upward 
in service, and his life begins occultly to sound. He is 
occultly productive. He manifests forth and his sound 
goes out before him. This is an occult statement of fact 
definitely apparent to those who have the inner vision. Co- 
ordination between the centres becomes apparent ; rotation 
is intensified, and the centres themselves change in ap- 
pearance, becoming unfolded and the rotary movement 
becomes fourth-dimensional, turning inward upon itself. 
The centres are then radiating nuclei of light, and the cor- 
responding four lower head centres are equally alive. 

Period V — marks the application of the fire to the 
head centres and their complete awakening. 

Before initiation, all the centres will be rotating in 
fourth dimensional order, but after initiation they become 
flaming wheels, and — seen clairvoyantly — are of rare 
beauty. The fire of Kundalini is then awakened and is 



74 THE SACKED WOED 

progressing in the necessary spirals. At the second initia- 
tion the emotional centres are similarly awakened, and at 
the third initiation those on the mental plane are touched. 
The initiate can then stand in the Presence of the Great 
King, the One Initiator. 

I seek to point out that the student must ever remem- 
ber that here generalisations only are given. The com- 
plexity in the development of the microcosm is as great as 
in the macrocosm. The awakening of the centres and their 
particular order is dependent on several factors, such as : 

a — The Ray of the Spirit or Monad, 
b — The Ray of the Ego, higher self, or Son, or the sub- 
ray, 
c — Race and nationality, 
d — The special type of work to be done, 
e — The application of the student. 

Hence you can see for yourself that it is useless to lay 
down rules for the development of the centres and to form- 
ulate methods whereby the fire can be circulated until such 
time as trained teachers with expert knowledge and clair- 
voyant faculty are in charge of the work on the physical 
plane. It is not desirable for aspirants to focus their 
thought on any one centre. They run the risk of over- 
stimulation, or of attrition. It is not wished that effort be 
made to turn the fire towards any particular point; in 
ignorant manipulation lies insanity and fell disease. If 
the aspirant but seeks spiritual development, if he but 
aims at sincerity of purpose and at compassionate al- 
truism, if he, with serene application, concentrates on the 
subjugation of the emotional body and the enlargement of 
the mental, and cultivates the habit of abstract thinking, 
the desired results upon the centres will be produced from 
necessity, and danger will be eliminated. 



THE SACKED WORD 



75 



Fundamental centres of average man. 

Heart centre 
Solar Plexus 





Base of spine 

Fundamental centres of developed man. 
Throat centre 



Heart centre 



Base of spine. 

Fundamental centres of man on Path. 
Head centres 



Throat centre. 



Heart centre. 

When these triangles are paths of three-fold fire, emanat- 
ing from the base of the spine, when the interlacing is 
complete and the fire progresses along the path from centre 
to centre in the correct manner, and when this is accom- 
plished in the order required by the man's primary ray, 
then the work is completed. The five-fold man has at- 
tained perfection for this present greater cycle and the 
goal is reached. 

(Note that this order has to be attained in the head 
centres likewise.) 

Tomorrow we will continue the study of the centres 




76 THE SACRED WORD 

more specifically and somewhat describe them, pointing to 
the effect upon the life through the awakening of these 
wheels. 

June" 25, 1920 
2 — The growth and development of the centres. 
We will now enumerate the centres again, this time 
considering their psychic correspondences and will note 
the colours and the number of the petals. 

1 — The base of the spine. Four petals. These petals 
are in the shape of a cross, and radiate with orange 
fire. 
2 — The solar plans. Ten petals. The colour rosy, 

with an admixture of green. 
3 — The heart centre. Twelve petals. Colour glowing 

golden. 
4 — The throat centre. Sixteen petals. Colour silvery 

blue, the blue predominating. 
5 — The head centres. These are in a two-fold divi- 
sion : — 

a — Between the eyebrows. Ninety-six petals. 
Colour, one-half of the lotus is rose and yellow, 
and the other half is blue and purple, 
b — The top of the head. There are twelve major 
petals of white and gold, and 960 secondary 
petals are arranged around the central twelve. 
This makes a total of 1068 petals in the two 
head centres, or 356 triplicities. All these fig- 
ures have an occult significance. 
This description is taken from "The Inner Life", 
Vol. I. 

This description applies to the etheric centres, which are 
themselves the working out into physical plane manifesta- 
tion of corresponding vortices on the emotional plane, with 
emotional vitality playing through. They have their 



THE SACKED WORD 77 

mental counterparts, and in their awakening as aforesaid, 
and in their growth and development, comes the final 
vivification, and the resultant liberation. 

The connection between the centres, the causal body 
and meditation lies hid in the following hint: — it is 
through the rapid whirling and interaction of these centres 
and their increased force through meditation (the ordered 
occult meditation) that the shattering of the causal body- 
is effected. When the inner fire is circulating through each 
centre and when kundalini is spiralling accurately and 
geometrically from vortex to vortex, the intensification in- 
teracts in three directions. 

a — It focuses the light or the consciousness of the 
Higher- Self into the three lower vehicles, drawing it down- 
ward into fuller expression and widening its contact on all 
the three planes in the three worlds. 

b — It draws down from the three-fold Spirit more and 
more of the fire of the Spirit, doing for the causal body 
what the Ego is doing for the three lower vehicles. 

c — It forces the unification of the higher and lower, 
and it attracts the spiritual life itself. When this is done, 
when each successive life sees an increase of vitality in the 
centres, and when kundalini in its seven-fold capacity 
touches each centre, then even the causal body proves in- 
adequate for the influx of life from above. If I might so 
express it, the two fires meet, and eventually the egoic body 
disappears; the fire burns up entirely the Temple of 
Solomon; the permanent atoms are destroyed, and all is 
re-absorbed into the Triad. The essence of the Person- 
ality, the faculties developed, the knowledge gained, and 
the remembrance of all that has transpired becomes part 
of the equipment of the Spirit and eventually finds its way 
to the Spirit or Monad on its own plane. 

Now let me enumerate for you the things as to which 



78 THE SACRED WORD 

it will not be possible as yet to furnish further informa- 
tion; the risks involved would be too great. 

1 — The method of arousing the Sacred Fire. 

2 — The order of its progression. 

3 — The geometrical forms it makes as it mounts. 

4 — The order of the development of the centres, ac- 
cording to the ray of the Spirit. The complexity 
is too great. 
You will therefore observe that the subject really becomes 
more abstruse, the longer it is studied. It is complicated 
by Ray development, by the man's own place upon the 
ladder of evolution, by the uneven awakening of the differ- 
ent centres due to the type of a man's lives ; it is rendered 
more complex by the three-fold nature of the centres them- 
selves, — etheric, emotional and mental — by the fact that 
some people have one or other emotional centre completely 
awakened and demonstrating etherically whilst the mental 
counterparts may be quiescent; others may have the men- 
tal centres awake and the emotional not so vivified and be 
etherically quiet. Therefore, it will be obvious how great 
is the need for conscious clairvoyant teachers, who can 
judiciously work with the pupils, stimulating through 
scientific knowledge and methods, the dormant or sluggish 
centres, and aligning them so that the current can freely 
flow back and forth between the external vortices and the 
inner centre. Later the teacher can train the pupil in the 
safe awakening of the inner fire, in its scientific culture 
and transmission, and instruct him in the order required 
for its convolutions along the path of the triangles until 
it reaches the head centres. When kundalini has traversed 
these geometrical lines the man is perfected, the person- 
ality has served its purpose, and the goal is reached. Hence 
the fact that all the centres have petals whose numbers 
are multiples of four, for four is the number of the lower 



THE SACRED WORD 79 

self, of the quarternary. The total number of petals in 
the centres, if we eliminate the spleen which has a pur- 
pose all its own, and the three lower organs of creation, 
is one thousand, one hundred and ten, the total number 
signifying the perfection of the microcosm, — ten the num- 
ber of perfected personality, one hundred the number of 
causal perfection, and one thousand the number of 
spiritual achievement. When every petal vibrates in all 
the dimensions, then the goal for this manvantara is 
reached. The lower lotus is full blown, and reflects the 
greater with precision. 

June 26th, 1920 
The effect of occult meditation on the centres. 

We shall study today, the effect of occult meditation 
upon the centres and their consequent vLvincation, posit- 
ing a meditation prefaced always by the use of the Sacred 
Word, uttered according to rule. 

We speak also of a meditation followed under the 
guidance of a teacher. The man therefore will meditate 
correctly or approximately so, so that what we are 
to consider today is the factor of time, in its relationship 
to the centres, for the work is slow and necessarily 
gradual. Here I would pause to emphasise to you the 
need of ever remembering that in all work that is truly 
occult expected effects are very slowly achieved. Should 
a man seem in any one incarnation to make spectacular 
progress it is due to the fact that he is but demonstrating 
what has already been earlier acquired (the manifesting 
forth of innate faculty, acquired in previous incarnations) 
and is preparing for a fresh period of slow, careful and 
painstaking endeavor. He recapitulates in the present 
life the processes surmounted in the past, and thus lays the 



80 THE SACKED WORD 

foundation for renewed effort. This slow and laborious 
effort, which is the consistent method of all that evolves, 
is after all but an illusion of time and is due to the fact 
that consciousness is at present for the majority polarised 
in the lower vehicles and not in the causal. The states of 
consciousness succeed each other apparently slowly, and 
in their slow progression lies the chance for the Ego to as- 
similate the fruit of these stages. It takes a long time to 
establish a stable vibration, and it takes as long to shatter 
it, and to impose another and still higher rhythm. Growth 
is one long period of building in order to destroy, of con- 
structing in order to disorganise later, of developing cer- 
tain rhythmic processes in order to later disrupt them, and 
to force the old rhythm to give place to the new. What 
the personality spends many thousands of lives in estab- 
lishing is not going to be lightly altered when the Ego — 
working in the lower consciousness — seeks to effect a 
change. The shifting of polarisation from emotional to 
mental, and thence to the causal and later to the three- 
fold Spirit inevitably entails a period of great difficulty, 
of violent conflict both internally and with the environ- 
ment, intense suffering and apparent darkness and dis- 
ruption — all these things characterise the life of the as- 
pirant or the disciple. What causes this and why is this 
so? The following reasons may make it apparent why 
the path is so hard to tread and the process of mounting 
the ladder (as one nears the higher rungs) becomes ever 
more complicated and difficult. 

1 — Each body has to be dealt with and disciplined 

separately and thus purified. 
2 — Each body has to be readjusted and aligned. 
3 — Each body has to be subjected to re-polarisation. 
4 — Each body is practically reconstructed. 



THE SACEED WOED 81 

5 — Each subplane above the fourth ( for on the fourth 
the life of the aspirant starts ) has to be dominated. 

6 — Each centre has to be gradually, carefully and 
scientifically aivakened, its revolutions have to be 
intensified, its radiations electrified (if I may bor- 
row that term and apply it to the centres) and its 
force must demonstrate through the higher dimen- 
sion. 

7 — Each etheric centre has to be magnetically linked, 
in full alignment, with the corresponding centres 
in the emotional and mental bodies, so that the 
flow of force is unimpeded. 

8 — Each centre has then to be awakened afresh by the 
Sacred Fire till the radiations, the velocity and 
the colours are keyed to the egoic note. This is 
part of the work of Initiation. 

As each change is gradually made, it responds to the 
same law that governs all cyclic growth in the macrocosm : 

1 — First comes the clashing of the old with the new 
rhythm. 

2 — This is folloAved by a period of gradual dominance 
of the new, elimination of the old, and the stabili- 
sation of the new vibration. 

3 — Then finally comes the passing on and out, and 
again a repetition of the process. 

It is this work that is done on the bodies and on the 
centres by the work of meditation and the use of the Sacred 
Word. This Word aids in the adjustment of the matter, 
its vitalisation by fire, and enables the aspirant to work 
in line with the law. This unfoldment of the centres is a 
gradual process, paralleling the work done on the bodies, 
the refining of the vehicles and the slow development of 
causal consciousness. 



82 THE SACKED WORD 

Concluding remarks. 

In concluding this division upon the use of the Sacred 
Word in meditation, I would like to indicate certain things, 
though more than a hint is not possible. This matter has 
been difficult for you to comprehend, and I fully realise it. 
The difficulty lies in the fact that so little can be safely 
said, that the real use of the Word is one of the secrets of 
initiation and may not therefore be divulged., and that 
what little can be indicated is of small value to the student 
apart from the wise attempt to experiment, which experi- 
ment must be carried on under the guidance of one who 
knows. Still, I will for you indicate certain things which, 
wisely pondered upon, may lead to illumination. 

When meditating in the heart centre, picture it as 
a golden lotus closed. When the Sacred Word is enunci- 
ated, picture it as a lotus slowly expanding until the inner 
centre or vortex is seen as a radiating whirlpool of electric 
light, more blue than golden. Build there the picture of 
the Master, in etheric, emotional and mental matter. This 
entails the withdrawing of the consciousness ever more 
and more inwards. When the picture is fully built then 
gently sound the Word again, and with an effort of the 
will withdraw still further inwards and link up with the 
twelve petalled head centre, the centre of causal conscious- 
ness. Do all this very slowly and gradually, maintaining 
an attitude of perfect peace and calm. There is a direct 
relationship between the two twelve petalled centres, and 
occult meditation, and the action of the kundalini fire will 
later reveal its significance. This visualisation leads to 
synthesis, to causal development and expansion, and 
eventually conducts a man into the Presence of the 
Master. 

The solar plexus is the seat of the emotions and 
should not be centred upon in meditation. It is a basis for 



THE SACKED WOKD 83 

physical healing and will later be more completely under- 
stood. It is the centre of activity — an activity which must 
later be intuitional. The throat centre works radiantly 
when the polarisation is shifting from the physical atom 
to the mental permanent atom as dealt with earlier. The 
mental permanent atom becomes the centre of pure reason 
or of abstract thought. Then comes a time in the develop- 
ment of consciousness when the emotional force which 
governs so many is transcended and superseded by the 
force of the higher intellect. It often marks a period when 
a man is swayed purely by reason and his emotions do 
not control him. This may demonstrate in the personal 
life on the physical plane as intellectual hardness. Later, 
the emotional permanent atom gives place to the intuition- 
al and pure intuition and perfect comprehension through 
love is the motive power, with the faculty of reason added. 
Then the solar plexus is distinguished by the preponder- 
ance of the green of activity, for the emotional body is 
actively the agent of the higher, and engenders but little 
of the rose of human desire. 

In the whirling of the force through the vortex 
(which whirling forms the petals of the lotus) it will be 
observed that certain petals predominantly stand out, and 
each centre demonstrates one particular type of cross, 
with the exception of the two head centres which are the 
synthesis of the lower crosses. The four-armed cross of 
the third Logos is found at the base of the spine and the 
cross of the fourth human Hierarchy in the heart. 

When the Sacred Word is intoned by the average 
aspirant, it carries force through all the inner centres to 
the etheric, and causes a definite stimulation of the petals 
in each centre. If the lotus is only partially unfolded, then 
only some of the petals receive the stimulation. This 
stimulation creates a vibration (especially in the centre 



84: THE SACRED WORD 

in which a man meditates, the head or the heart) which 
causes reliex action in the spine and down to the base. 
This is not in itself sufficient to arouse the fire; that can 
only be done in due form, in the right key and subject to 
certain rules. 

When meditation is done in the heart and under oc- 
cult laws, with the correct intoning of the Word, the force 
comes through the emotional centres from the intuitional 
levels. When it is done in the head, the force comes 
through the mental centres from the abstract manasic 
levels, and later from the atmic. The one gives spiritual 
intuition, and the other causal consciousness. 

The advanced man is the man who is linking up the 
two major centres, — the head and the heart, — into one 
synthetic instrument, and whose throat centre vibrates to 
the same measure. Then you have will and love blended 
in harmonious service, and the lower physical activity is 
transmuted into idealism and altruism. When this stage 
is reached, the man is ready for the awakening of the in- 
ner fire. His bodies are refined enough to withstand the 
pressure and the onrush; they contain nothing dangerous 
to its progress; the centres are keyed high enough to re- 
ceive the acquisition of fresh stimulation. When this has 
been done, the hour of initiation comes when the would-be 
server of humanity will stand before his Lord, with puri- 
fied desire, consecrated intellect, and a physical body that 
is his servant and not his master. 

Today we will bring this letter to a close. Tomorrow, 
we will take up the dangers that confront the man who 
meditates. I shall seek to point out what he must guard 
against and wherein he must move with caution. 



LETTER V 

DANGERS TO BE AVOIDED IN MEDITATION. 

1 — Dangers inherent in the Personality. 

2 — Dangers arising from Karma. 

3 — Dangers arising from subtle forces. 



85 



LETTER V 

July 22, 1920. 

DANGERS TO BE AVOIDED IN MEDITATION. 

The Withholding of Information. 

We have reached a point now, where the foundations 
of knowledge have been laid, — that knowledge which in- 
stills into the wise student the desire to submit to the 
necessary rules, to conform to the prescribed requirements, 
and to make the comprehended mental concepts practical 
experiences in daily life. This desire is wise and right, 
and the object of all that has been imparted, but at this 
juncture it may be wise to sound a warning note, to point 
out certain dangerous possibilities, and to put the student 
on his guard against an enthusiasm that may lead him 
along paths that will hinder development, and that may 
build up vibrations that will ultimately have to be offset. 
This entails delay and a recapitulation in work that (if 
realised in time) might be obviated. 

Certain statements and instructions cannot be made 
or given in writing to students for three reasons : — 

1 — Some instructions are always given orally, as they 
appeal to the intuition and are not for the pondering and 
logical reasoning of lower mind; they also contain ele- 
ments of danger if submitted to the unready. 

2 — Some instructions pertain to the secrets of the 
Path, and are mainly applicable to the groups to which the 
student is attached; they can only be given in joint in- 
struction when out of the physical body. They pertain to 
the group causal body, to certain ray secrets, and to the 
invoking of the assistance of the higher devas to bring 

86 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 87 

about desired results. The dangers attached thereto are 
too great to permit of their being communicated in an 
exoteric publication. The occult effects of the spoken word 
and of the written word are diverse and interesting. Until 
such time as you have among you a wise Teacher in physi- 
cal person, and until it is possible for Him to gather 
around Him His students, thus affording them the protec- 
tion of His aura and its stimulating vibration, and until 
such time as world conditions permit of a certain period 
of relaxation from the present strain and suspense, it will 
not be possible to impart forms, invocations and mantrams 
of a specific character; it will not be possible to arouse 
the centres ahead of the necessary evolutionary rate, ex- 
cept in a few individual cases where certain pupils (per- 
haps unconsciously to themselves) are being subjected to 
definite processes, which result in a greatly increased rate 
of vibration. This is only being done to a few in each 
country, and is directly under the eye of a Master, focus- 
ing through H.P.B. 

3 — Information as to the invoking of devas in medi- 
tation cannot yet be safely given to individuals, though a 
beginning is being made with groups such as in the rituals 
of the Masons and of the Church. Formulas that put the 
lesser devas under the control of man will not yet be im- 
parted. Human beings are not yet to be trusted with that 
power, for the majority are but animated by selfish desire 
and would misuse it for their own ends. It is deemed by 
the wise teachers of the race, — as I think I have before 
said — that the dangers of too little knowledge are much 
less than the dangers of too much, and that the race can 
be more seriously hindered by the misapplication of powers 
gained by incipient occultists than it can by a lack of 
knowledge that engenders not karmic results. The powers 
gained in meditation, the capacities achieved by the ad- 



88 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

justment of the bodies through meditation, the faculties 
developed in each vehicle by definite formulas in medita- 
tion, the manipulation of matter that is one of the func- 
tions of the occultist (the result of well-adjusted vehicles 
that respond perfectly to plane conditions ) and the attain- 
ment of causal consciousness — a consciousness that car- 
ries with it the ability to include within itself all the lesser 
— are of too serious a character to be lightly disposed of, 
and in the training of man along these lines only those 
are encouraged by the teacher who can be trusted. 
Trusted in what sense? Trusted to think in group terms 
and not in terms of self, trusted to use the knowledge 
gained anent the bodies and the karma of environing as- 
sociates solely for their wise assistance and not for selfish 
purposes, and trusted to use occult powers for the further- 
ance of evolution and for the development on all planes of 
the schemes of evolution as planned by the three Great 
Lords. 

Let me illustrate: — 

One of the things accomplished in meditation when 
pursued with regularity and under correct instruction is 
the transference of the consciousness of the lower self into 
the higher. This carries with it the capacity to see on 
causal levels, intuitively to recognize facts in the lives of 
others, to foresee events and occurrences and to know the 
relative value of a personality. This can only be per- 
mitted Avhen the student can be silent, selfless and stable. 
Who as yet answers to all these requirements? 

I am endeavoring to give you a general idea of the 
dangers incident to the too early development of the pow- 
ers achieved in meditation. I seek to sound a note — not 
of discouragement — but of insistence upon physical purity, 
on emotional stability and on mental equilibrium before 
the student passes on to greater knowledge. Only as the 



DANGEKS OF MEDITATION 89 

channel opens to the intuition and closes to the animal 
nature can a man wisely proceed with his work. Only as 
the heart enlarges its capacity to suffer with all that 
breathes, to love all that is contacted, and to understand 
and sympathise with the least desirable of God's creatures, 
can the work go forward as desired. Only when the de- 
velopment is equable, only when the intellect runs not too 
far ahead of the heart, and the mental vibration shuts not 
out the higher one of the Spirit can the student be trusted 
to acquire powers that (wrongly used) may result in dis- 
aster to his environment as well as to himself. Only as he 
formulates no thoughts save such as he purposes to make 
for the helping of the world can he be trusted wisely to 
manipulate thought matter. Only as he has no desire save 
to find out the plans of the Master, and then to assist 
definitely in making those plans facts in manifestation, can 
he be trusted with the formulas that will bring the devas 
of lesser degree under his control. The dangers are so 
great and the perils that beset the unwary student so 
many that before I proceed further I have sought to urge 
caution. 

Let us now specify and enumerate certain dangers 
that must be guarded against by the man who progresses 
in meditation. Some of them are due to one cause and 
some to another, and we shall have to specify with ac- 
curacy. 

1 — Dangers inherent in the Personality of the pupil. 
They can, as you foresee, be grouped under the three 
heads : — physical dangers, emotional dangers, and mental 
dangers. 

2 — Dangers arising from the karma of the pupil y and 
from his environment. These also may be enumerated un- 
der three divisions : 



90 DANGERS. OF MEDITATION 

a — The karma of his present life, his own individual 
"ring-pass-not", as represented by his present life. 

b — His national heredity and instincts as, for in- 
stance, whether he possesses an occidental or an 
oriental type of body. 

c — His group affiliations, whether exoteric or esoteric. 

3 — Dangers arising from the subtle forces that you 
ignorantly call evil ; such dangers consist in attack on the 
pupil by extraneous entities on some one plane. These 
entities may simply be discarnate human beings; they may 
be the denizens of the other planes who are non-human; 
later on, when the student is of sufficient importance to 
attract notice, the attack may come from those who deal 
purely with matter to the hindrance of spiritual growth, — 
the black magicians, the dark brothers, and other forces 
that appear destructive. This appearance is only such 
when viewed from the angle of time and in our three 
worlds, and is but incidental to the fact that our Logos 
Himself is also evolving, and (from the standpoint of the 
infinitely greater Ones Who assist Him in His develop- 
ment) it is dependent upon His transitory imperfections. 
The imperfections of nature — as we term them — are the 
imperfections of the Logos, and will eventually be trans- 
cended. 

I have therefore outlined for you this morning the 
material I shall seek to impart during the coming days. 

July 24, 1920 
The dangers that beset the student of meditation are 
dependent upon many factors, and it will not be possible 
to do more than briefly indicate certain menacing condi- 
tions, to warn against certain disastrous possibilities, and 
to caution the pupil against results that are to be reached 
by undue strain, by over-excess of zeal, and by a one-point- 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 91 

edness that may lead to an unbalanced development. One- 
pointedness is a virtue, but it should be the one-pointedness 
of purpose and of aim, and not that which develops one 
sole line of method to the exclusion of all others. 

The dangers of meditation are largely the dangers of 
our virtues, and therein lies much of the difficulty. They 
are largely the dangers of a fine mental concept that runs 
ahead of the capacity of the lower vehicles, especially of 
the dense physical. Aspiration, concentration and deter- 
mination are necessary virtues, but if used without dis- 
crimination and without a sense of time in evolution they 
may lead to a shattering of the physical vehicle that will 
delay all progress for some one particular life. Have I 
made my point clear? I seek but to bring out the absolute 
necessity for the occult student to have a virile common 
sense for one of his basic qualities, coupled with a happy 
sense of proportion that leads to due caution and an ap- 
proximation of the necessary method to the immediate 
need. To the man therefore who undertakes wholehearted- 
ly the process of occult meditation I would say with all 
conciseness : — 

a — Know thyself. 

b — Proceed slowly and with caution. 

c — Study effects. 

d — Cultivate the realisation that eternity is long and 
that that which is slowly built up endures forever. 

e — Aim at regularity. 

f — Realise always that the true spiritual effects are 
to be seen in the exoteric life of service. 

g — Remember likewise that psychic phenomena are no 
indication of a successful following of meditation. 
The world will see the effects and be a better judge 
than the student himself. Above all, the Master 



92 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

will know, for the results on causal levels will be 
apparent to Him long before the man himself is 
conscious of any progress. 
Let us now take up these points in detail. 

Dangers inherent in the Personality. 

Let us, therefore, consider first those dangers most 
closely connected with the man's own personal life, and 
which are dependent upon his three bodies, their separate 
condition and their inter-relation. This subject is so vast 
that it will not be possible to do more than indicate certain 
results due to certain conditions ; each man presents a dif- 
ferent problem, and each body causes a different reaction, 
and each totality in his three-fold nature is affected by its 
alignment or by its lack of alignment. Let us take each 
body separately at first and then in their three-fold 
totality. In this way some specific facts may be imparted. 

I begin with the mental body as it is for the student of 
meditation the one that is the centre of his effort and the 
one that controls the two lower bodies. The true student 
seeks to draw his consciousness away from his physical 
body, and away from the emotional body into the realms of 
thought, or into the lower mind body. Having achieved 
that much, he seeks then to transcend that lower mind and 
to become polarised in the causal body, using the anta- 
karana, as the channel of communication between the high- 
er and the lower, the physical brain being then but the 
quiescent receiver of that which is transmitted from the 
Ego or Higher Self, and later from the three-fold Spirit, 
the Triad. The work to be done necessitates a working 
from the periphery inwards, and a consequent centralisa- 
tion. Having achieved that centralisation and focussed 
in that stable centre — with the solar plexus and the heart 
quiet — a point within the head, one of the three major head 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 93 

centres, becomes the centre of consciousness, the ray of a 
man's ego deciding which that centre will be. This is the 
method of the majority. Then that point having been 
reached, a man will follow the meditation of his ray as 
indicated to yon in general terms earlier in these letters. 
In each case, the mental body becomes the centre of con- 
sciousness and then later — through practice — it becomes 
the point of departure for the transference of the polarisa- 
tion into a higher body, first the causal and later into the 
Triad. 

The dangers to the mental body are very real and 
must be guarded against. They are paramountry two, and 
might be termed the dangers of inhibition and those due to 
the atrophying of the body. 

a — Let us take first the dangers due to inhibition. 
Some people, by their sheer strength of will, reach a point 
in meditation where they directly inhibit the processes of 
the lower mind. If you picture the mental body as an 
ovoid, surrounding the physical body and extending much 
beyond it, and if you realise that through that ovoid are 
constantly circulating thought-forms of various lands ( the 
content of the man's mind and the thoughts of his environ- 
ing associates) so that the mental egg is coloured by pre- 
dominant attractions and diversified by many geometrical 
forms, all in a state of flux or circulation, you may get some 
idea of what I mean. When a man proceeds to quiet that 
mental body by inhibiting or suppressing all movement, he 
will arrest these thought forms within the mental ovoid, 
he will stop circulation and may bring about results of a 
serious nature. This inhibition has a direct effect upon 
the physical brain, and is the cause of much of the fatigue 
complained of after a period of meditation. If persisted 
in, it may lead to disaster. All beginners do it more or 
less, and until they learn to guard against it they will 



94 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

stultify their progress and retard development. The re- 
sults may indeed be more serious. 

What are the right methods of thought elimination? 
How can placidity of mind be achieved without the use 
of the will in inhibition? The following suggestions may 
be found useful and helpful : — 

The student having withdrawn his consciousness 
on to the mental plane at some point within the brain, let 
him sound forth the Sacred Word gently three times. Let 
him picture the breath sent forth as a clarifying expurgat- 
ing force that in its progress onward sweeps away the 
thought forms circulating within the mental ovoid. Let 
him then at the close realise that the mental body is 
free and clear of thought forms. 

Let him then raise his vibration as high as may 
be, and aim next at lifting it clear of the mental body into 
the causal, and so bring in the direct action of the Ego up- 
on the lower three vehicles. As long as he can keep his 
consciousness high and as long as he holds a vibration that 
is that of the Ego on its own plane, the mental body will 
be held in a state of equilibrium. It will hold no lower 
vibration analogous to the thought forms circulating in its 
environment. The force of the Ego will circulate through- 
out the mental ovoid, permitting no extraneous geometri- 
cal units to find entrance, and the dangers of inhibition 
will be offset. Even more will be done, — the mental mat- 
ter will in process of time become so attuned to the higher 
vibration that in due course that vibration will become 
stable and will automatically throw off all that is lower 
and undesirable. 

b — What do I mean by the dangers of atrophy? Simply 
this: Some natures become so polarised on the mental 
plane that they run the risk of breaking connection with 
the two lower vehicles. These lower bodies exist for pur- 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 95 

poses of contact, for the apprehension of knowledge on the 
lower planes and for reasons of experience in order that 
the content of the causal body may be increased. There- 
fore it will be apparent to you that if the indwelling con- 
sciousness comes no lower than the mental plane and neg- 
lects the body of emotions and the dense physical, two 
things will result. The lower vehicles will be neglected 
and useless and fail in their purpose, atrophying and dying 
from the point of view of the Ego, whilst the causal body 
itself will not be built as desired and so time will be lost. 
The mental body will be rendered useless likewise, and will 
become a thing of selfish content, of no use in the world 
and of little value. A dreamer whose dreams never mate- 
rialise, a builder who stores up material which he never 
employs, a visionary whose visions are of no use to gods or 
men, is a clog upon the system universal. He is in great 
danger of atrophying. 

Meditation should have the effect of bringing all three 
bodies more completely under the control of the Ego, and 
lead to a co-ordination and an alignment, to a rounding- 
out and a symmetrical development that will make a man 
of real use to the Great Ones. When a man realises that 
mayhap he is too much centralised on the mental plane 
he should definitely aim at making all his mental experi- 
ences, aspirations and endeavors matters of fact on the 
physical plane, bringing the two lower vehicles under con- 
trol of the mental and making them the instruments of his 
mental creations and activities. 

I have here indicated two of the dangers most fre- 
quently met with, and I advise all students of occultism to 
remember that all the three bodies are of equal importance 
in carrying out the work to be done, both from the egoic 
standpoint, and from the standpoint of service to the race. 
Let them aim at a wise co-ordination in expression, that 



96 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

will enable the God within to manifest for the aiding of 
the world. 

July 25, 1920 

The emotional body is at this time the most important 
body in the Personality for several reasons. It is a complete 
unit, unlike the physical and mental bodies ; it is the centre 
of polarisation for the majority of the human family; it 
is the most difficult body to control, and is practically the 
very last body to be completely subjugated. The reason 
for this is that the vibration of desire has dominated, not 
only the human kingdom but also the animal and vegetable 
kingdoms in a lesser sense, so that the evolving inner man 
has to work against inclinations set up in three kingdoms. 
Before the spirit can function through forms of the fifth or 
spiritual kingdom, this desire vibration has to be elimin- 
ated, and selfish inclination transmuted into spiritual 
aspiration. The emotional body forms practically a unit 
with the physical body, for the average man functions al- 
most entirely at the instigation of the emotional, — his low- 
est vehicle automatically obeying the behests of a higher. 
It is also the body that connects most directly, as has been 
ofttimes said, with the intuitional levels, and one path of 
attainment lies that way. In meditation the emotional 
body should be controlled from the mental plane, and when 
the polarisation has been transferred into the mental body 
through forms of meditation and intensity of purpose and 
of will, then the emotional becomes quiescent and recep- 
tive. 

This negative attitude in itself, if carried too far, 
opens the door to serious dangers, which I will later en- 
large upon when we take up the subject of obsessions, 



DAGGERS OF MEDITATION 97 

divine sometimes, but more oft the reverse. A negative 
condition is not desired in either of the bodies, and it is 
just this very negativeness that beginners in meditation 
so oft achieve, and so run into danger. The aim should be 
to make the emotional ovoid positive to all that is lower 
and to its environment and only receptive to the Spirit 
via the causal. This can only be brought about by the 
development of the faculty of conscious control — that con- 
trol which even in the moments of highest vibration and 
contact is alert to watch and guard the lower vehicles. 
" Watch and pray" the Great Lord said when last on earth, 
and He spoke in occult terms, that have not as yet re- 
ceived due attention or interpretation. 
What must therefore be watched? 

■i^-The attitude of the emotional ovoid and its posi- 
tive-negative control. 

2 — The stability of the emotional matter and its con- 
scious receptivity. 

3 — Its alignment with the mental and with the causal 
bodies. If this alignment is imperfect (as it so frequently 
is) it causes inaccuracy in reception from the higher 
planes, distortion of the truths sent down via the Ego, and 
a very dangerous transference of force to undesirable 
centres. This lack of alignment is the cause of the fre- 
quent straying from sexual purity of many apparently 
spiritually inclined persons. They can touch the intuition- 
al levels somewhat, the Ego can partially transmit power 
from on high but as the alignment is imperfect the force 
from those higher levels is deflected, the wrong centres 
are over-stimulated, and disaster results. 

4 — Another danger to be guarded against is that of 
obsession, but in pure thoughts, spiritual aims, and un- 



98 DAGGERS OF MEDITATION 

selfish brotherly conduct, lie the fundamentals of protec- 
tion. If to these essentials is added common sense in medi- 
tation and a wise application of occult rules, with due 
consideration of ray and karma, these dangers will disap- 
pear. 

July 28, 1920 
Some Thoughts on FIRE. 

Just prior to beginning the consideration of the mat- 
ter on hand, I would like to point out to you a certain 
rather interesting fact. Most of the psychological phe- 
nomena of the earth are — as you will realise, if you think 
clearly, — under the control of the Deva Lord AGNI, the 
great primary Lord of Fire, the Ruler of the mental plane. 
Cosmic fire forms the background of our evolution; the 
fire of the mental plane, its inner control and dominance 
and its purifying asset coupled to its refining effects, is the 
aim of the evolution of our three-fold life. When the in- 
ner fire of the mental plane and the fire latent in the lower 
vehicles merge with the sacred fire of the Triad, the work 
is completed and the man stands adept. The at-one-ment 
has been made and the work of aeons is completed. All 
this is brought about through the co-operation of the Lord 
Agni, and the high devas of the mental plane working with 
the Ruler of that plane, and with the Raja-Lord of the 
second plane. 

Macrocosmic evolution proceeds in like manner to the 
microcosmic. The internal fires of the terrestrial globe, 
deep in the heart of our earth sphere will merge with the 
sacred fire of the sun at the end of the greater cycle, and 
the solar system will then have reached its apotheosis. 
Little by little as the aeons slip away and the lesser cycles 
run their course, fire will permeate the ethers and will 
be daily more recognisable and controlled till eventually 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 99 

cosmic and terrestrial fire will be at-one (the bodies of all 
material forms adapting themselves to the changing con- 
ditions) and the correspondence will be demonstrated. 
When this is realised the phenomena of the earth — snch as, 
for instance, seismic disturbance — can be studied with 
greater interest. Later when more is comprehended, the 
effects of such disturbances will be understood and likewise 
their reactions on the sons of men. During the summer 
months — as that great cycle comes around in different 
quarters of the earth — the fire devas, the fire elementals 
and those obscure entities the "agnichaitans" of the inter- 
nal furnaces, come into greater activity, relapsing as the 
sun moves further away, into a less active condition. You 
have here a correspondence between the fiery aspects of 
the earth economy in their relationship to the sun similar 
to the watery aspects and their connection with the moon. 
I give you quite an occult hint here. I would like also to 
give you here a very brief though occult fragment that 
may now be made public. If pondered on, it car- 
ries the student to a high plane and stimulates vibration . . 

"The secret of the Fire lies hid in the second letter of 
the Sacred Word. The mystery of life is concealed 
within the heart. When the lower point vibrates, 
when the Sacred Triangle glows, when the point, the 
middle centre, and the apex likewise burns, then the 
two triangles — the greater and the lesser — merge into 
one flame which burneth up the whole." 

It is our task now to deal briefly with the dangers that 
attend the practice of meditation as they manifest in the 
physical body. These dangers — like so much else in the 
Logoic scheme — assume a three-fold nature, attacking 



100 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

three departments of the physical body. They show them- 
selves : — 

a — In the brain. 

b — In the nervous system. 

c — In the sex organs. 

It is needless to point out now the reason why I dealt 
first with the dangers of the mental and emotional bodies. 
It was necessary so to do, for many of the perils besetting 
the dense vehicle find their commencement on the subtler 
planes, and are only the outer manifestations of inner 
evils. 

Each human being enters into life equipped with a 
physical and etheric body of certain constituents, those 
constituents being the product of a previous incarnation; 
they are virtually the body reproduced exactly, that the 
man finally left behind him when death severed him from 
physical plane existence. The task ahead of everybody is 
to take that body, realise its defects and requirements, and 
then deliberately set in and build a new body that may 
prove more adequate to the need of the inner spirit. This 
is a task of large dimensions and involves time, stern dis- 
cipline, self-denial and judgment. 

The man who undertakes the practice of occult medi- 
tation literally "plays with fire." I wish you to emphasise 
this statement for it embodies a truth little realised. 
"Playing with fire" is an old truth that has lost its sig- 
nificance through flippant repetition, yet it is absolutely 
and entirely correct, and is not a symbolic teaching but a 
plain statement of fact. Fire forms the basis of all — the 
Self is fire, the intellect is a phase of fire, and latent in 
the microcosmic physical vehicle lies hid a veritable fire 
that can either be a destructive force, burning the tissue of 
the body and stimulating centres of an undesirable char- 
acter, or be a vivifying factor, acting as a stimulating and 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 101 

awakening agent. When directed along certain prepared 
channels, this fire may act as a purifier and the great con- 
nector between the lower and the Higher Self. 

In meditation the student seeks to contact the divine 
flame that is his Higher Self, and to put himself likewise 
en rapport with the fire of the mental plane. When medi- 
tation is forced, or is pursued too violently, before the 
alignment between the higher and lower bodies via the 
emotional is completed, this fire may act on the fire latent 
at the base of the spine (that fire called kundalini) and 
may cause it to circulate too early. This will produce dis- 
ruption and destruction instead of vivification and stimu- 
lation of the higher centres. There is a proper geometrical 
spiralling which this fire should follow, dependent upon 
the ray of the student and the key of the vibration of his 
higher centres. This fire should only be permitted to cir- 
culate under the direct instruction of the Master and con- 
sciously distributed by the student himself, following the 
specific oral instructions of the teacher. Sometimes the 
fire may be aroused and spiral with correctness without 
the student knowing what is occurring on the physical 
plane ; but on the inner planes he knows and has but failed 
to bring the knowledge through to the physical plane con- 
sciousness. 

Let us take up for a moment the three dangers that 
principally beset the physical vehicle. I would like to 
point out that I deal with the trouble in its extreme, and 
that there are many intermediate stages of risk and trouble 
that attack the unwary student. 

Dangers to the physical brain. 

The brain suffers principally in two ways: — 
From congestion, causing a suffusion of the blood 

vessels and a consequent strain upon the delicate brain 



102 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

tissue. This may result in permanent injury, and may 
even cause imbecility. It shows in the initial stages as 
numbness and fatigue, and if the student persists in medi- 
tation when these conditions are sensed the result will be 
serious. At all times a student should guard against con- 
tinuing his meditation when any fatigue is felt, and should 
stop at the first indications of trouble. All these dangers 
can be guarded against by the use of common-sense, and 
by remembering that the body must ever be trained grad- 
ually and be built slowly. In the scheme of the Great 
Ones, hurry has no place. 

From insanity. This evil has often been seen in 
earnest students who persist in unwise pressure or seek 
unguardedly to arouse the sacred fire through breathing 
exercises and similar practices; they pay the price of their 
rashness through the loss of their reason. The fire does 
not proceed in due geometrical form, the necessary tri- 
angles are not made, and the electrical fluid rushes with 
ever increasing speed and heat upwards, and literally 
burns away all or part of the brain tissue, thus bringing 
about insanity and sometimes death. 

When these things are more widely comprehended and 
openly acknowledged, doctors and brain specialists will 
study with greater care and accuracy the electrical condi- 
tion of the spinal column, and correlate its condition with 
that of the brain. Good results will thus be achieved. 
Dangers to the nervous system. 

The troubles connected with the nervous system are 
more frequent than those attacking the brain, such as in- 
sanity and disruption of the brain tissue. Almost all who 
undertake meditation are conscious of an effect in the nerv- 
ous system ; sometimes it takes the form of sleeplessness, of 
excitability, of a strained energy and restlessness that per- 
mit of no relaxation; of an irritability that has been for- 



DANGEBS OF MEDITATION 103 

eign perhaps to the disposition until meditation was pur- 
sued; of a nervous reaction — such as a twitching of the 
limbs, the fingers or the eyes — of depression or a lowering 
of the vitality, and of many individual modes of showing 
tension and nervousness, differing according to nature and 
temperament. This display of nervousness may be either 
severe or slight, but I seek earnestly to point out it is quite 
needless, provided the student adheres to the rules of com- 
mon-sense, that he studies wisely his own temperament, 
and that he does not blindly proceed with forms and meth- 
ods but insists on knowing the raison d'etre of instituted 
action. If occult students disciplined the life more wise- 
ly, if they studied the food problem more carefully, if 
they took the needed hours of sleep with more determina- 
tion, and if they worked with cautious slowness and not so 
much from impulse (no matter how high the aspiration) 
greater results would be seen and the Great Ones would 
have more efficient helpers in the work of serving the 
world. 

It is not my purpose in these letters to take up specific- 
ally the diseases of the brain and of the nervous system. 
I only desire to give general indications and warnings and 
(for your encouragement) to point out that later when 
the wise Teachers move among men and openly teach in 
specific schools, many forms of brain trouble and of nerv- 
ous complaints will be cured through meditation wisely 
adjusted to the individual need. Proper meditations will 
be set to stimulate quiescent centres, to turn the inner 
fire to proper channels, to distribute the divine heat in 
equable arrangement, to build in tissue and to heal. The 
time for this is not yet, though it lies not so far ahead as 
you might imagine. 
Dangers to the sex organs. 

The danger of the over-stimulation of these organs is 



104 DANGEES OF MEDITATION 

well recognised theoretically, and I do not pnrpose to en- 
large on it greatly today. I but seek to point out that this 
danger is very real. The reason is that in the over-stimula- 
tion of these centres the inner fire is but following the 
line of least resistance, owing to the polarisation of the 
race as a whole. The work, therefore, that the student has 
to do is two-fold: — 

a — He has to withdraw his consciousness from those 
centres ; this is no easy task for it means working against 
the results of age-long development. 

b — He has to direct the attention of the creative im- 
pulse to the mental plane. In so doing, if successful, he 
will turn the activity of the divine fire to the throat centre 
and its corresponding head centre, instead of to the lower 
organs of generation. Therefore, it will be apparent to 
you why — unless a man is very advanced — it is not wise to 
spend much time in meditation during the earlier years. 
There was wisdom in the old Brahmanical rule that a man 
must give his early years to household endeavor, and only 
when he had fulfilled his function as a man could he go 
on to the life of the devotee. This was the rule for the 
average. With advanced egos, pupils and disciples, it is 
not so, and each must then work out his own individual 
problem. 

July 29, 1920 

Dangers arising from the Karma of the student. 

These as you know may be grouped under three heads, 
as follows: 

1 — Those incidental to the karma of his present life. 

2 — Those based on his national heredity and his type 
of body. 



DANGEBS OF MEDITATION 105 

3 — Those attendant on his group affiliations, whether 
on the physical plane and so exoteric, or on the 
subtle planes and so esoteric. 

Just what do you mean by the "karma of the stu- 
dent?" We use words lightly, and I presume that the 
thoughtless reply would be that the student's karma is the 
inevitable happenings of the present or the future that he 
can not evade. This is somewhat right, but is only one 
aspect of the whole. Let us look at the matter first in a 
large manner, for oft in the just apprehension of big out- 
lines comes comprehension of the small. 

When our Logos founded the solar system He drew 
within the circle of manifestation, matter sufficient for 
His project, and material adequate for the object He had 
in view. He had not all possible objects in view for this 
one solar system : he had some specific aim that necessi- 
tated some specific vibration and required therefore cer- 
tain differentiated material. This circle that we term the 
systemic or solar "ring-pass-not" bounds all that trans- 
pires within our system, and continues within its bounds 
our dual manifestation. All within that ring vibrates to a 
certain key-measure, and conforms to certain rules with 
the aim in view of the achievement of a particular goal, 
and the attainment of a certain end, known in its entirety 
only to the Logos Himself. All within that circle is sub- 
ject to specific rules and governed by a certain key meas- 
ure, and might be regarded as being subject to the karma of 
that seven-fold periodic existence, and actuated by causes 
dating back prior to the ringing of that circle, thus link- 
ing our system to its forerunner and affiliating it with 
that which will come after. Not an isolated unit are we, 
but part of a greater whole, governed in our totality by 
cosmic law and working out (as a whole) certain definite 
aims. 



106 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

Microcosmic purpose. 

So it is with the Microcosm. The Ego on his own plane 
and on a tiny scale, repeats the action of the Logos. For 
certain ends he builds a certain form; he gathers certain 
material, and aims at a definite consummation that shall 
be the result of that gathered material vibrating to a cer- 
tain measure, governed in one specific life by certain rules 
and aiming at some one particular object, — not all possi- 
ble objects. 

Each personality is to the Ego what the solar system 
is to the Logos. It is his field of manifestation and the 
method whereby he attains a demonstrable objective. That 
aim may be the acquirement of virtue by paying the price 
of vice ; it may be the attainment of business acumen by the 
struggle to provide the necessities of life; it may be the 
development of sensitiveness by the revealing cruelties of 
nature ; it may be the building-in of unselfish devotion by 
the appeal of needy dependents; or it may be the trans- 
mutation of desire by the method of meditation on the 
path. It is for each soul to find out. What I want to im- 
press upon you is the fact that there is a certain danger 
incident to this very factor. If, for instance, in the ac- 
quirement of the mental capacity to meditate, the student 
misses the very thing he came into the physical body to 
acquire, the result is not so much a gain as an unequal 
development and a temporary loss of time. 

Let us be specific and illustrate : — An Ego has formed 
his three-fold body of manifestation and set his ring-pass- 
not with the purpose in view of building into his causal 
body the faculty of "mental apprehension of the basic facts 
of life". The object of that one incarnation is to develop 
the mental capacity of the student ; to teach him concrete 
facts and science and thus to enlarge the content of his 
mental body, with a view to future work. He may be over- 



DANGEES OF MEDITATION 107 

developed on the heart side, too much of the devotee; he 
may have spent many lives in dreaming dreams and in see- 
ing visions and in mystic meditation. To be practical, full 
of common sense, to know the curriculum of the Hall of 
Learning and to practically apply the knowledge learnt on 
the physical plane is his great need. Yet, even though his 
ring-pass-not seems to proscribe and limit his inherent ten- 
dencies, and even though the stage is set so that it would 
seem he must learn the lessons of practical living in the 
world, he learns not, but follows what is to him the line of 
least resistance. He dreams his dreams, and stays aloof 
from world affairs ; he does not fulfil the desire of the Ego, 
but misses opportunity; he suffers much, and in the next 
life is necessitated a similar staging and a stronger urge, 
and a closer ring-pass-not until he complies with the will 
of his Ego. 

For such an one, meditation helps not, but mainly 
hinders. As before I have said, meditation (to be wisely 
undertaken) is for those who have reached a point in evolu- 
tion where the rounding out of the causal body is somewhat 
matured and where the student is in one of the final grades 
in the Hall of Learning. You need to remember that I 
refer not here to the mystic meditation but to the scientific- 
ally occult meditation. The dangers are, therefore, prac- 
tically those of wasted time, of an intensification of a vibra- 
tion out of all proportion to the key of the other vibrations, 
and of an unequal rounding out and a lop-sided building 
that will necessitate reconstruction in other lives. 

July 30, 1920 
Bangers based on national heredity and type of body. 

As you may well imagine it is not my 

purpose to enlarge upon the dangers incidental to a defec- 
tive body, save in general terms to lay down the ruling that 



108 DAGGERS OF MEDITATION 

where there is definite disease, congenital trouble or men- 
tal weakness of any kind, meditation is not the part of dis- 
cretion, but may serve but to intensify the trouble. I wish 
specifically to point out for the guidance of future students 
and as a prophetic statement, that in days to come when the 
science of meditation is more comprehended, two factors 
will be wisely weighed and considered before assigning a 
meditation. These factors are : — 

a — The man's sub-race characteristics. 

b — His type of body, Avhether it is oriental or occi- 
dental. 
In this way, certain disasters will be avoided and certain 
troubles obviated that are now found in a more or less de- 
gree in every occult group. 

It is generally recognised that each race has for its 
predominant feature some one outstanding quality of the 
emotional body. This is the general rule. In contrasting 
the Italian and the Teutonic racial differences, those diff- 
erences are summed up in our minds in terms of the emo- 
tional body. We think of the Italian as fiery, romantic, 
unstable and brilliant ; we think of the Teuton as phlegma- 
tic, matter-of-fact, sentimental and stolidly logically 
clever. It will, therefore, be apparent to you that these 
different temperaments carry with them their own dan- 
gers, and that in the unwise pursuit of unsuitable medita- 
tions, virtues could be emphasised till they approximated 
vices, temperamental weaknesses could be intensified till 
they became menaces, and consequently lack of balance 
would result instead of that attainment of equilibrium and 
that fine rounding out of the causal body which is one of 
the aims in view. When, therefore, the wise Teacher moves 
among men and Himself apportions meditation, these 
racial differences will be weighed and their inherent de- 
fects will be offset and not intensified. Over-development 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 109 

and disproportionate attainment will be obviated by the 
equalising effects of occult meditation. 

Meditation as followed now and as followed in Atlant- 
ean days differs fundamentally. In the fourth root race an 
effort was made to facilitate attainment via the atomic sub- 
plane, from the emotional plane to the intuitional, to the 
practical exclusion of the mental. It followed the line of 
the emotions and had a definite effect on the emotional 
body. It worked upwards from the emotional instead of, 
as now, working on mental levels and from those levels 
making the effort to control the two lower. In the Aryan 
root-race, the attempt is being made to bridge the gap be- 
tween the higher and the lower and, by centering the con- 
sciousness in the lower mind and later in the causal, to tap 
the higher until the downflow from that higher will be con- 
tinuous. With most of the advanced students at present 
all that is felt is occasional flashes of illumination, but 
later will be felt a steady irradiation. Both methods carry 
their own dangers. In Atlantean days, meditation tended 
to over-stimulation of the emotions and although men 
touched great heights, yet they also touched great depths. 
Sex magic was unbelievably rampant. The solar-plexus 
was apt to be over vivified, the triangles were not correct- 
ly followed, and the lower centres were caught in the reac- 
tion of the fire with dire results. 

The dangers now are different. The development of 
mind carries with it the dangers of selfishness, of pride, of 
blind forgetfulness of the higher that it is the aim of the 
present method to offset. If the adepts of the dark path 
attained great powers in Atlantean days they are still more 
dangerous now. Their control is much more widespread. 
Hence the emphasis laid on service, and on the steadying of 
the mind as an essential in the man who seeks to progress 
and to become a member of the Brotherhood of Light. 



110 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

The matter I now seek to give some instruction up- 
on is one of very real importance to all earnest students at 
this time. The orient is to the evolving race of men what 
the heart is to the human body ; it is the source of light, of 
life, of heat, and of vitality. The Occident is to the race 
what the brain or mental activity is to the body, — the direc- 
ting organising factor, the instrument of the lower mind, 
the accumulator of facts. The difference in the entire 
"make-up" (as you term it) of the oriental and of the 
European or American is so great and so well-recognised 
that it is mayhap needless for me to dwell upon it. 

The oriental is philosophical, naturally dreamy, 
trained through centuries to think in abstract terms, fond 
of abstruse dialectics, temperamentally lethargic, and 
climatically slow. Ages of metaphysical thinking, of vege- 
tarian living, of climatic inertia and of a rigid adherence 
to forms and to the strictest rules of living have produced 
a product the exact opposite of his occidental brother. 

The occidental is practical, business-like, dynamic, 
quick in action, a slave to organization (which is after all 
but another form of ceremonial) actuated by a very con- 
crete mind, acquisitive, critical, and at his best when af- 
fairs move quickly, and rapid mental decision is required. 
He detests abstract thought yet appreciates it when ap- 
prehended, and when he can make those thoughts facts on 
the physical plane. He uses his head more than his heart 
centre, and his throat centre is apt to be vitalised. The 
oriental uses his heart centre more than the head and nec- 
essarily the corresponding head centres. The centre at the 
top of the spine at the base of the skull functions more 
actively than the throat. 

The oriental progresses by the withdrawing of 
the centre of consciousness to the head through strenuous 
meditation. That is the centre that he needs to master, 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 111 

he learns by the wise use of mantrams, by retiring into 
seclusion, by isolation and by the careful following of 
specific forms for many hours each day for many days. 

The occidental has in view the withdrawal of his con- 
sciousness to the heart at first, for already he works so 
much with the head centres. He works more by the use of 
collective forms and not individual mantrams ; he does not 
work so much in isolation as his oriental brother, but has 
to find his centre of consciousness even in the noise and 
whirl of business life and in the throngs of great cities. 
He employs collective forms for the attainment of his ends, 
and the awakening of the heart centre shows itself in ser- 
vice. Hence the emphasis laid in the Occident on the heart 
meditation and the subsequent life of service. 

You will see, therefore, that when the real occult work 
is begun, the method may differ — and will necessarily 
differ — in the east and in the west, but the goal will be 
the same. It must be borne in mind, for instance, that a 
meditation that Avould aid the development of an oriental, 
might bring danger and disaster to his western brother. 
The reverse would also be the case. But always the 
goal will be the same. Forms may be individual or collec- 
tive, mantrams may be chanted by units or by groups, dif- 
ferent centres may be the object of specialised attention, 
yet the results will be identical. Danger arises when the oc- 
cidental bases his endeavor on rules that suffice for the 
oriental, as has at times been so wisely pointed out. In 
the wisdom of the Great Ones this danger is being offset. 
Different methods for different races, diverse forms for 
those of various nationalities, but the same wise guides on 
the inner planes, the same great Hall of Wisdom, the same 
Gate of Initiation, admitting all into the inner sanctu- 
ary 

In concluding this subject, I seek to give a hint : — The 



112 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

seventh Ray of Ceremonial Law or Order (the Ray now 
coming into power) provides for the occidental what has 
long been the privilege of the oriental. Great is the day 
of opportunity, and in the sweeping onward of this seventh 
force comes the needed impetus that may — if rightly 
grasped — drive to the Feet of the Lord of the World the 
dweller in the Occident. 

August 2, 1920 

Dangers attendant on group affiliations. 

Very briefly would I seek this morning to take up 
the question of the dangers involved in meditation that 
are incidental to a man's group affiliations, whether ex- 
oteric or esoteric. There is not much that can be said on 
this particular matter, save broad indications. Each of 
these various subjects that I have touched upon might 
warrant the writing of a weighty treatise, and I shall not, 
therefore, attempt to cover what might be said but only 
point out certain aspects of the matter that will (if pond- 
ered on with care) open up to the earnest seeker after truth 
many avenues of knowledge. All occult training has this 
in view, — to give to the pupil some seed thought which 
(when brooded over in the silence of his own heart) will 
produce much fruit of real value, and which the pupil can 
then conscientiously consider his own. What we produce 
through wrestling and strenuous endeavor remains forever 
our own, and vanishes not into forgetfulness as do the 
thoughts that enter through the eye from the printed page, 
or through the ear from the lips of any teacher no matter 
how revered. 

One thing that is oft overlooked by the pupil when he 
enters upon the path of probation and starts meditation is 
that the goal ahead for him is not primarily the comple- 



DANGEKS OF MEDITATION 113 

tion of his own development but his equipping for service 
to humanity. His own growth and development are neces- 
sarily incidental but are not the goal. His immediate en- 
vironment and his close associates on the physical plane 
are his objective in service, and if in the endeavor to attain 
certain qualifications and capacities he overlooks the 
groups to which he is affiliated and neglects to serve wisely 
and to spend himself loyally on their behalf he runs the 
danger of crystallisation, falls under the spell of sinful 
pride, and mayhap even takes the first step towards the 
left-hand path. Unless inner growth finds expression in 
group service the man treads a dangerous road. 

Three types of affiliated groups. 

Perhaps I could here give some indications of the 
groups on the various planes to which a man is assigned. 
These groups are many and diverse and at different 
periods of a man's life may change and differ, as he works 
out from under the obligating karma that governs the 
affiliations. Let us remember too that as a man enlarges 
his capacity to serve he at the same time increases the 
size and number of the groups he contacts till he reaches 
a point in some later incarnation when the world itself 
is his sphere of service and the multitude those whom he 
assists. He has to serve in a three-fold manner before he 
is permitted to change his line of action and pass on to 
other work, — planetary, systemic or cosmic. 

a — He serves first through activity, through the use of 
his intelligence, using the high faculties of mind and the 
product of his genius to aid the sons of men. He builds 
slowly great powers of intellect and in the building over- 
comes the snare of pride. He takes, then, that active in- 
telligence of his and lays it at the feet of collective human- 
ity, giving of his best for the helping of the race. 



114 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

b — He serves through love, becoming, as time elapses, 
one of the saviours of men, spending his life and giving of 
his all through perfect love of his brothers. A life then 
comes when the utmost sacrifice is made and in love he 
dies that others may live. 

c — He serves then through power. Proved in the fur- 
nace to have no thought save the good of all around, he 
is trusted with the power that follows from active love 
intelligently applied. He works with the law, and bends 
all his will to make the power of the law felt in the three- 
fold realms of death. 

In all these three branches of service you will notice 
that the faculty of working with groups is one of para- 
mount importance. These groups are diverse as before 
I have said and vary on different planes. Let us briefly 
enumerate them : — 

1 — On the physical plane: — The following groups 
will be found: — 

a — His family group to which he is usually affiliated 
for two reasons, one to work out karma and repay his 
debts; the second, to receive a certain type of physical 
vehicle that the Ego needs for adequate expression. 

b — His associates and friends ; the people his environ- 
ment throws him with, his business associates, his church 
affiliations, his acquaintances and casual friends, and 
the people he touches for a brief period and then sees no 
more. His work with them is two-fold again; first to re- 
pay an obligation should such a debt have been incurred; 
and secondly to test out his powers to influence for good 
those around him, to recognise responsibility and to direct 
or help. In doing thus, the Guides of the race find out the 
actions and reactions of a man, his capacity for service, 
and his response to any surrounding need. 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 115 

c — His associated band of servers, the group under 
some Great One that is definitely united for work of an 
occult and spiritual nature. It may be either a band of 
church workers among the orthodox (beginners are tried 
out here) ; it may be in social work such as in the labor 
movements or in the political arena; or it may be in the 
more definitely pioneer movements of the world, such as 
the Theosophical Society, the Christian Science move- 
ment, the New Thought workers and the Spiritualists. I 
would add to this, one branch of endeavor that may sur- 
prise you, — I mean the movement of the Soviet in Russia 
and all the aggressive radical bodies that sincerely serve 
under their leaders (even when misguided and unbal- 
anced) for the betterment of the condition of the masses. 

Thus on the physical plane you have three groups to 
which a man belongs. He owes a duty to them and he must 
play his part. Now wherein could danger enter through 
meditation? Simply in this : that as long as a man's karma 
holds him to some particular group the thing that he must 
aim at is to play his part perfectly, so that he may work 
out from under karmic obligation and advance toward 
ultimate liberation; besides this he must carry on his 
group with him to greater heights and usefulness. There- 
fore, if through meditation of an unsuitable nature he 
neglects his proper obligations he delays the purpose of 
his life, and in another incarnation he will have to play it 
out. If he builds into that group's causal body (the com- 
posite product of the several lives) aught that has not its 
place properly there, he aids not but hinders, and again 
that involves danger. Let me illustrate, for clarity is de- 
sired: — A student is affiliated with a group that has an 
over-preponderance of devotees, and he has come in for 
the express purpose of balancing that quality with another 
factor, that of wise discrimination and mental balance. 



116 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

If he permits himself to be overcome by the group thought- 
form and becomes himself a devotee, following a devotion- 
al meditation and unwisely omitting to balance that 
group's causal body, he runs into a danger that hurts 
not only himself but the group to which he belongs. 

2 — On the emotional plane: Here he belongs to sev- 
eral groups such as : — 

a — His emotional plane family group, which is more 
thoroughly his own group than the family into which he 
happens to be born on the physical plane. You will see 
this demonstrated many times in life when members of an 
emotional plane family contact each other on the physical 
plane. Instant recognition ensues. 

b — The class within the Hall of Learning to which he 
is assigned and in which he receives much instruction. 

c — The band of Invisible Helpers with whom he may 
be working and the band of Servers. 

All these groups involve obligations and work and all 
must be allowed for in studying the wise use of meditation. 
Meditation should increase a man's capacity to discharge 
his karmic debts, giving clear vision, wise judgment and a 
comprehension of the work of the immediate moment. 
Anything that militates against this is dangerous. 

3 — On the mental plane : The groups to be found 
there may be enumerated as follows : 

a — The groups of pupils of some one Master to 
Whom he may be attached, and with Whom he may be 
working. This is usually only the case when the man is 
rapidly working out his karma and is nearing the entrance 
to the Path. His meditation, therefore, should be directly 
under the guidance of his Master, and any formula follow- 
ed that is not adjusted to a man's need carries with it ele- 
ments of danger, for the vibrations set up on the mental 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 117 

plane and the forces engendered there are so much more 
potent than on the lower levels. 

b — The egoic group to which he belongs. This is most 
important for it involves the consideration of the man's 
ray in the apportioning of meditation. This matter has 
already been somewhat touched upon. 

As you will see, I have not specified certain dangers 
attacking any particular body. It is not possible to cover 
the subject thus. In later days, when occult meditation 
is more comprehended and the matter scientifically stud- 
ied, students will prepare the necessary data and treatises 
covering the entire subject as far as then may be. I sound, 
however, a note of warning, I indicate the way, — the 
teachers on the inner side seldom do more. We aim at 
developing thinkers and men of clear vision, capable of 
logical reasoning. To do this we teach men to develop 
themselves, to do their own thinking, reason out their own 
problems, and build their own characters. Such is the 
Path 

August 3, 1920 

Dangers arising from subtle forces. 

We have for our topic this morning the final 

section of our letter on the dangers incidental to medita- 
tion. We have dealt somewhat with individual dangers 
inherent in the three bodies; we have touched upon the 
risks that may be run when the karma of the student and 
his group affiliations are overlooked. Today the subject 
involves real difficulty. We have to deal with the dangers 
that may arise from forces and persons, from entities and 
groups working on the subtler planes. The difficulty 
arises in three ways: — 

1 — The ignorance of the average student as to the 



118 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

nature of those forces and as to the personnel of the groups 
on the subtler planes. 

2 — The risk of revealing more than would be wise in 
an exoteric publication. 

3 — An occult risk that is little comprehended by the 
uninitiated. It lies in the fact that in the concentration of 
thought that necessarily arises in discussing these prob- 
lems, thought-waves are set in motion, currents are con- 
tacted and thought forms circulated that attract the at- 
tention of those under discussion. This may lead at times 
to undesirable results. Therefore, I shall with brevity 
touch upon the subject. Upon the inner planes the needed 
light and protection are afforded. 

Three groups of entities : — 

These groups of entities can be differentiated in a 
three-fold manner : — 

1 — Groups of discarnate beings on either the emotion- 
al or the mental planes. 

2 — Devas, either singly or in groups. 

3 — The dark Brotherhood. 
Let us take each division and deal with it carefully, first 
laying the foundation of knowledge by pointing out that 
the dangers arise from a three-fold condition of the bodies 
of the student which may be the result sometimes of medi- 
tation. These conditions are: — 

A negative condition that makes the entire three 
bodies of the personality receptive and quiescent, and open 
therefore to the attack of the watching denizens of other 
planes. 

A condition of ignorance or foolhardiness that, 
in attempting to use certain forms and mantrams without 
the permission of the Teacher, involves the student with 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 119 

certain groups of devas, bringing him into contact with 
the devas of the emotional or mental planes and making 
him therefore (through his ignorance) the butt of their 
attack and the plaything of their destructive instincts. 

A condition which is the reverse of the above, 
which makes a man positive and a channel, therefore, for 
force or power. When this is the case, the man proceeds, 
under occult rule or law and with the aid of his Teacher, 
to wield the electrical fluid of the inner planes. He be- 
comes then a centre of the attention of those who strive 
against the Brothers of Light. 

The first two conditions are all the result of medita- 
tion unwisely and ignorantly practised, the last state of 
affairs is frequently the reward of success. In the 
first two, the remedy lies within the student himself and 
in the wise correction of the type of meditation and its 
more careful following ; in the third case the remedy must 
be sought in various way which I will later indicate. 
Dangers of obsession. 

Dangers from discarnate entities are frankly those of 
obsession, either of a temporary nature and lasting for a 
few moments or more enduring and lasting for a longer 
period. It may even be permanent and lasting through a 
lifetime. I have earlier written to you a letter upon this 
subject which you might here incorporate. We never 
duplicate effort if it can be avoided. I seek pri- 
marily to emphasise the point that this entrance which we 
call obsession is effected largely through the negative at- 
titude assumed through the unwise following of an unsuit- 
able meditation. In his anxiety to be the recipient of light 
from above, in his determination to force himself to a 
place where he can contact the teachers or even the Master, 
and in his endeavor to eliminate all thought and lower vi- 
brations, the student makes the mistake of rendering his 



m DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

entire lower personality receptive. Instead of making it 
firmly positive to environing factors and to all lower con- 
tacts, and instead of only allowing the "apex of the mind" 
(if I may nse so nnusual a term) to be receptive and 
open to transmission from the causal or the abstract levels 
and even from the intuitional, the student permits recep- 
tion from all sides. Only a point within the brain should 
be receptive, all the rest of the consciousness should be 
so polarised that outer interference will not possible. This 
refers to the emotional and to the mental bodies, though 
with the majority these days it refers solely to the emo- 
tional. At this particular period of the world's history 
the emotional plane is so densely populated and the re- 
sponse of the physical to the emotional is now becoming 
so exquisitely attuned, that the danger of obsession is 
greater than ever heretofore. But for your cheering — the 
reverse holds good also, and response to the divine and 
rapid reaction to the higher inspiration has never been 
so great. Divine inspiration or that "divine obsession" 
which is the privilege of all advanced souls, will be under- 
stood in the coming years as never before, and will be defin- 
itely one of the methods used by the coming Lord and His 
Great Ones for the helping of the world. 

The thing to be remembered is that in the case of 
wrong obsession the man is at the mercy of the obsessing 
entity, and is unconsciously or unwillingly a partner in 
the transaction. In divine obsession the man consciously 
and willingly co-operates with the One Who seeks to in- 
spire, or to occupy or employ his lower vehicles. The 
motive is ever the greater helping of the race. The obses- 
sion is then not the result of a negative condition but of 
a positive collaboration and proceeds under law and for a 
specific period. . . .As more and more of the race develop 
continuity of consciousness between the physical and the 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 121 

emotional and later the mental, this act of transference of 
the vehicles will be more frequent and more understood. 

October 9, 1919 

Causes of Obsession. 

One of the activities ahead of the occult student is the 
study and the scientific observation of this matter. We 
have been told in various occult books that obsession and 
insanity are very closely allied. Insanity may exist in all 
three bodies, the least harmful being that of the physical 
body, whilst the most enduring and the hardest to cure is 
that of the mental body. Insanity in the mental body is 
the heavy fate that descends upon those who for many 
incarnations have followed the path of selfish cruelty, 
using the intelligence as a means to serve selfish ends and 
using it wilfully, knowing it to be wrong. But insanity 
of this type is a means whereby the Ego sometimes arrests 
the progress of a man towards the left-hand path. In this 
sense it is a disguised blessing. Let us deal first with the 
causes of obsession, leaving the subject of insanity for an- 
other day. These causes are four in number and each re- 
sponds to a different treatment : — 

One cause is a definite weakness of the etheric 
double, in the separating web, which like a piece of relaxed 
elastic permits entry of an extraneous entity from the 
emotional plane. The door of entrance which is formed 
by this web is not closed tight, and entrance can be effected 
from without. This is a physical plane cause, and is the 
result of the mal-adjustment of physical plane matter. 
It is the result of karma, and is pre-natal, existing from 
the earliest moment. Usually the sufferer is physically 
weak, intellectually feeble, but possessed of a powerful 
emotional body which suffers and fights and struggles to 



122 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

prevent entrance. The attacks are intermittent, and more 
frequently attack women than men. 

Another cause is due to emotional reasons. A 
lack of co-ordination exists between the emotional and the 
physical and when the man functions in the emotional 
body (as at night) the moment of re-entry is attended with 
difficulty, and opportunity exists for other beings to enter 
the physical vehicle, and prevent its occupation by the real 
Ego. This is the most common form of obsession, and 
affects those with powerful physical bodies and strong as- 
tral vibrations, but with weak mental bodies. It leads 
in the ensuing struggle, to the violent scenes of screaming 
lunatics and to the paroxysms of the epileptic. Men are 
more subject to this than women, as women are usually 
more definitely polarised in the emotional body. 

A rarer kind of obsession is the mental. In coming 
days as the mental body develops, one may expect perhaps 
to see more of it. Mental obsession involves the displace- 
ment taking place on the mental levels — hence its rarity. 
The physical body and the emotional body remain as a 
unit, but the Thinker is left in his mental body, whilst the 
obsessing entity (clothed in mental matter) enters the 
two lower vehicles. In the case of emotional obsession the 
Thinker is left Avith his emotional body and his mental 
body but with no physical. In this latter case he is left 
with neither emotional nor physical. The cause lies in the 
fact of the over-development of the mental, and of the rela- 
tive weakness of the emotional and physical bodies. The 
Thinker is too powerful for his other bodies and disdains 
their use ; he is too interested in work on mental levels, and 
thus gives opportunity to obsessing entities to assume con- 
trol. This, as I said before, is rare and is the result of lop- 
sided development: It attacks women and men equally; 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 123 

it principally shows itself in childhood and is difficult to 
cure. 

A still rarer cause of obsession is definitely the work 
of the dark Brothers. It takes the form of snapping the 
magnetic link that attaches the Ego to the lower physical 
body, leaving him in his emotional and mental bodies. 
This would normally result in the death of the physical 
body, but in cases such as these the dark Brother, who is 
to use the physical body, enters it and makes connection 
with his own cord. These cases are not common. They 
only involve two classes of people: — 

Those who are highly evolved and on the Path, but 
who through some wilful shortcoming fail for some one 
incarnation and so lay themselves open to the evil force. 
Sin (as you call it) in the personality of a disciple leads 
to a weakness in some one spot, and this is taken advan- 
tage of. This type of obsession shows itself in the trans- 
formation that is sometimes seen when a great soul sudden- 
ly plunges on an apparent downward path, when he changes 
the whole trend of his existence and besmirches a fair 
character with mud. It carries with it its own punishment, 
for on the inner planes the disciple looks on, and in agony 
of mind sees his lower vehicle dishonoring the fair name 
of its real owner and causing evil to be said of a loved 
cause. 

The little evolved, weakly organised, and so unable 
to resist. 
The Kinds of Obsessing Entities. 

These are too numerous to mention in detail but I 
might enumerate a few. 

1 — Discarnate entities of a low order awaiting incar- 
nation, and who see, in cases one and two, their wanted 
opportunity. 



124 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

2 — Suicides, anxious to undo the deed and to again 
get into contact with earth. 

3 — Earth-bound spirits, good and bad, who from 
anxiety over loved ones, over their business affairs, or 
eager to do some wrong or to undo some evil act, rush in 
and take possession of cases one and two. 

4 — Dark Brothers as aforesaid, who avail themselves 
principally of the third and fourth cases already cited. 
They require highly developed bodies, having no use for 
weak or unrefined bodies. In case three the weakness is 
entirely relative, due to over-accentuation of the mental 
vehicle. 

5 — Elementals and sub-human entities of a malicious 
nature who rush in on the slightest opportunity and where 
kindred vibration may be felt. 

6 — Some of the lower devas, harmless but mischiev- 
ous who, from sheer freakishness and fun, enter another 
body in much the same way that a child loves to dress up. 

7 — Occasional visitors from other planets who enter 
certain highly evolved bodies for purposes of their own. 
This is very, very rare 

Let me now give you some of the methods that event- 
ually will be the first attempts at cure. 

In the first type of cases, those due to physical 
plane weakness, the stress of the cure will be laid first on 
building up a strong physical body in both its depart- 
ments, though especially the etheric body. This will be 
done in future years with the direct aid of the devas of 
the shadows (the violet devas or devas of the ethers) . The 
strengthening of the etheric web will be aided by means of 
the violet light, with its corresponding sound, administered 
in quiet sanitariums. Co-incident with this treatment will 
be the attempt to strengthen the mental body. With the 
strengthening of the physical body will come longer and 



DANGEBS OF MEDITATION 125 

longer periods of freedom from attack. Eventually the 
attacks will cease altogether. 

When the cause is lack of co-ordination between 
the physical and the emotional vehicles the first methods 
of cure will be definite exorcism by the aid of mantrams 
and ceremonial (such as religious ritual). Qualified per- 
sons will use these mantrams at night when the obsessing 
entity may be supposed to be absent during the hours of 
sleep. These mantrams will call the real owner back, will 
build a protective wall after his re-entry, and will seek to 
force the obsessing one to stay absent. When the real own- 
er has returned, the work then will be to keep him there. 
Educative work during the day and protective measures 
at night for longer or shorter periods will gradually elimin- 
ate the evil occupant, or unwanted tenant, and in the 
course of time the sufferer will continue to procure im- 
munity. More anent this can later be given. 

Where mental obsession is involved the matter is 
more difficult. Most of the first cures achieved in the 
future will centre around the first two groups. Mental 
obsession must await greater knowledge, though experi- 
mentation from the very first should be undertaken. The 
work will have to done mostly from the mental plane by 
those who can function there freely and so contact the 
Thinker in his mental body. The co-operation of the 
Thinker must then be procured and a definite attack con- 
jointly made on the obsessed physical and emotional 
bodies. During the night much of the work in the first 
two cases of cures will be done, but in the latter case the 
Thinker has to win back his physical and his emotional 
bodies as well, hence the exceeding difficulty. Death often 
eventuates in these cases. 

In the severing of the magnetic cord naught can 
be done as yet. 



< 



126 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

Dangers from the deva evolution. 

This second point is more complex. You will remem- 
ber how it has been said earlier in these letters that contact 
with the devas can be brought about through specific forms 
and mant rains and that in this contact lies peril for the un- 
wary. This danger is curiously real now, owing to the 
following reasons: 

a — The coining in of the violet ray, the seventh or 
ceremonial ray, has rendered this contact more easy of 
attainment than heretofore. It is therefore the ray on 
which approximation is possible, and in the use of cere- 
monial and of set forms, coupled to regulated rhythmic 
movement, will be found a meeting place for the two allied 
evolutions. In the use of ritual this will be apparent, and 
psychics are already bearing witness to the fact that both 
in the ritual of the Church and in that of Masonry this 
has been evidenced. More and more will this be the case, 
and it carries with it certain risks that will inevitably 
>vork themselves into common knowledge and thus affect 
in various ways the unwary sons of men. As you know, 
' a definite effort is being made at this time by the Planet- 
ary Hierarchy to communicate to the devas their part in 
the scheme of things, and the part the human family must 
likewise play. The work is slow, and certain results are 
inevitable. It is not my purpose to take up with you in 
these letters the part that ritual and set mantric forms 
play in the evolution of devas and of men. I only desire to 
point out that danger for human beings lies in the unwise 
use of forms for the calling of the devas, in experimenting 
with the Sacred Word with the object in view of contact- 
ing the Builders who are so largely affected by it, and 
in endeavoring to pry into the secrets of ritual with its 
adjuncts of colour and of sound. Later on, when the 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 127 

pupil has passed the portal of initiation, such knowledge 
will be his, coupled with the necessary information that 
teaches him to work with the law. In the following of the 
law, no danger lurks. 

b — The race is possessed of a strong determination to 
penetrate within the veil, and to find out what lies on the 
other side of the unknown. Men and women everywhere 
are conscious within themselves of budding powers which 
meditation enhances. They find that by the careful 
following of certain rules they become more sensitive to 
the sights and sounds of the inner planes. They catch 
fleeting glimpses of the unknown ; occasionally and at rare 
intervals, the organ of inner vision temporarily opens and 
they hear and see on the astral or the mental plane. They 
see devas at a meeting in which ritual has been employed ; 
they catch a sound or a voice that tells them truths that 
they recognise as true. The temptation to force the issue, 
to prolong meditation, to try out certain methods that 
promise intensification of psychic faculty is too strong. 
They unwarily force matters and dire disaster results. 
One hint here I give : — In meditation it is literally possible 
to play with fire. The devas of the mental levels manipu- 
late the latent fires of the system and thus incidentally 
the latent fires of the inner man. It is woefully possible 
to be the plaything of their endeavor and to perish at their 
hands. A truth I speak here ; I give not voice to the inter- 
esting chimeras of a fanciful brain. Beware of playing 
with fire. 

c — This transition period is largely responsible for 
much of the danger. The right type of body for the hold- 
ing and the handling of the occult force has not yet been 
built, and in the interim the bodies now in use but spell 
disaster to the ambitious student. When a man starts 
out to follow the path of occult meditation, it takes well- 



128 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

nigh fourteen years to rebuild the subtle bodies, and in- 
cidentally the physical. All through that period it is not 
safe to tamper with the unknown for only the very strong 
refined physical body, the controlled stable and equalised 
emotional body and the properly striated mental body can 
enter into the subtler planes and literally work with 
Fohat, for that is what the occultist does. Therefore is 
the emphasis laid by all wise Teachers everywhere on the 
Path of Purification, which must precede the Path of Il- 
lumination. They lay the emphasis on the building in of 
spiritual faculty before psychic faculty can be safely per- 
mitted; they demand service to the race every day 
throughout the scope of life before a man may be permitted 
to manipulate the forces of nature, to dominate the ele- 
mentals, to co-operate with the devas, and to learn the 
forms and ceremonies, the mantrams and the key-words, 
that will bring those forces within the circle of manifes- 
tation. 

August 4, 1920 
Danger from the dark brothers. 

I think I gave you earlier practically all that I can as 
yet impart anent the brothers of darkness, as they are 
sometimes termed. I only want at this point to lay em- 
phasis upon the fact that no danger need be feared by 
the average student from this source. It is only as dis- 
cipleship is approached and a man stands out ahead of 
bis fellows as an instrument of the White Brotherhood 
that he attracts the attention of those who seek to with- 
stand. When through application to meditation, and 
power and activity in service, a man has developed his 
vehicles to a point of real achievement, then his vibrations 
set in motion matter of a specific kind, and he learns to 
work with that matter, to manipulate the fluids, and to 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 129 

control the builders. In so doing he encroaches on the 
domain of those who work with the forces of involution and 
thus he may bring attack upon himself. This attack may 
be directed against any of his three vehicles and may be of 
different kinds. Let me briefly point out some of the meth- 
ods employed against a disciple which are the ones which 
alone concern the student of these letters : 

a — Definite attack on the physical body. All kinds of 
means are employed to hinder the usefulness of the dis- 
ciple through disease or the crippling of his physical body. 
Not all accidents are the result of karma, for the disciple 
has usually surmounted a good deal of that type of karma 
and is thus comparatively free from that source of hind- 
rance in active work. 

b — Glamour is another method used, or the casting 
over the disciple of a cloud of emotional or mental mat- 
ter which suffices to hide the real, and to temporarily ob- 
scure that which is true. The study of the cases where- 
in glamour has been employed is exceedingly revealing 
and demonstrates how hard it is for even an advanced dis- 
ciple always to discriminate between the real and the false, 
the true and the untrue. Glamour may be either on the 
emotional or mental levels but is usually on the former. 
One form employed is to cast over the disciple the shadows 
of the thought of weakness or discouragement or criticism 
to which he may at intervals give way. Thus cast, they 
loom in undue proportion and the unwary disciple, not 
realising that he is but seeing the gigantic outlines of his 
own momentary and passing thoughts, gives way to dis- 
couragement, aye even to despair, and becomes of little use 
to the Great Ones. Another form is to throw into his men- 
tal aura suggestions and ideas purporting to come from 
his own Master but which are but subtle suggestions that 
hinder and help not. It takes a wise disciple always to 






130 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

discriminate between the voice of his real Teacher and 
the false whispers of the masquerading one, and even high 
initiates have been temporarily misled. 

Many and subtle are the means used to deceive and 
thereby curtail the effective output of the worker in the 
field of the world. Wisely therefore have all aspirants 
been enjoined to study and work at the development of 
viveka or that discrimination which safeguards from de- 
ception. If this quality is laboriously built in and cul- 
tivated in all events, big and little, in the daily life, the 
risks of being led astray will be nullified. 

c — A third method frequently employed is to envelop 
the disciple in a thick cloud of darkness, to surround him 
with an impenetrable night and fog through which he 
stumbles and often falls. It may take the form of a black 
cloud of emotional matter, of some dark emotion that 
seems to imperil all stable vibration and plunges the be- 
wildered student into a blackness of despair ; he feels that 
all is departing from him ; he is a prey to varied and dis- 
mal emotions; he deems himself forsaken of all; he con- 
siders that all past effort has been futile and that nought 
remains but to die. At such times he needs much the gift 
of viveka, and to earnestly weigh up and calmly reason 
out the matter. He should at these times remind himself 
that the darkness hides nought from the God within, and 
that the stable centre of consciousness remains there, un- 
touched by aught that may betide. He should persevere 
until the end, — the end of what? The end of the envelop- 
ing cloud, the point where it merges itself into sunlight; 
he should pass through its length and out into the day- 
light, realising that nothing can at any time reach to and 
hurt the inner consciousness. God is within, no matter 
what transpires without. We are so apt to look out at en- 
vironing circumstances, whether physical, astral or men- 



DANGEKS OF MEDITATION 131 

tal, and to forget that the inmost centre of the heart hides 
our points of contact with the Universal Logos. 

d — Finally, (for I cannot touch on all the methods 
used) the means employed may be to cast a mental dark- 
ness over the disciple. The darkness may be intel- 
lectual, and is consequently still more difficult to pene- 
trate, for in this case the power of the Ego must be called 
in, whereas in the former frequently the calm reasoning 
of the lower mind may suffice to dispel the trouble. Here, 
in this specific case, the disciple will be wise if he not only 
attempts to call his Ego or Higher Self for the dispelling 
of the cloud, but calls likewise upon his Teacher, or even 
upon his Master for the assistance that they can give. 

These are but a few of the dangers encircling the as- 
pirant, and I hint at them solely for the purpose of warn- 
ing and guidance, and not to cause alarm. You can here 
interpolate the earlier letter with the rules that I there 
give for the assistance of the disciple. 



September 25, 1919 



The Dark Brotherhood. 



Today I seek to speak to you on the powers of the 
dark brotherhood. Certain laws that govern their actions, 
certain methods employed by them in work need to be 
realised and certain methods of protection apprehended 
and utilised. As before, I have told you the danger is as 
yet inappreciable to the majority, but more and more as 
time elapses shall we find it necessary to teach you, the 
physical plane workers, how to shield and guard your- 
selves from attack. 

The dark brothers are — remember this always — 
brothers, erring and misguided yet still sons of the 



132 DANGEKS OF MEDITATION 

one Father though straying far, very far, into the land of 
distances. The way back for them will be long, but the 
mercy of evolution inevitably forces them back along the 
path of return in cycles far ahead. Anyone who over- 
exalts the concrete mind and permits it continuously to 
shut out the higher, is in danger of straying on the left- 
hand path. Many so stray — but come back, and 

then in the future avoid like errors in the same way as a 
child once burnt avoids the fire. It is the man who per- 
sists in spite of warning and of pain who eventually be- 
comes a brother of darkness. Mightily fights the Ego at 
first to prevent the personality so developing, but the de- 
ficiencies of the causal body (for forget not that our vices 
are but our virtues misused) result in a lop-sided causal 
body, over-developed in some direction and full of great 
gulfs and gaps where virtues should be. 

The dark brother recognises no unity with his 
species, only seeing in them people to be exploited for the 
furtherance of his own ends. This then, on a small scale, 
is the mark of those who are being used by them wittingly 
or unwittingly. They respect no person, they regard all 
men as fair prey, they use everyone to get their own way 
enforced, and by fair means or foul they seek to break 
down all opposition and for the personal self acquire that 
which they desire. 

The dark brother considers not what suffering he 
may cause ; he cares not what agony of mind he brings up- 
on an opponent; he persists in his intention and desists 
not from the hurt of any man, woman or child, provided 
that in the process his own ends are furthered. Expect ab- 
solutely no mercy from those opposing the Brotherhood 
of Light. 

On the physical plane and on the emotional plane, 
the dark brother has more power than the Brother of the 



DANGEBS OF MEDITATION 133 

Light, — not more power per se but more apparent power, 
because the White Brothers choose not to exert Their pow- 
er on those two planes, as do the dark brothers. They 
could exert Their authority but They choose to refrain, 
working with the powers of evolution and not of involu- 
tion. The elemental forces to be found on these two planes 
are manipulated by two factors. 

a — The inherent forces of evolution that direct all on 
to eventual perfection. The white adepts co-operate in 
this. 

b — The dark brothers who occasionally employ these 
elemental forces to wreak their will and vengeance on all 
opponents. Under their control work sometimes the ele- 
mental of the earth plane, the gnomes and the elemental 
essence as found in evil form, some of the brownies, and 
the fairy folk of colours brown, grey and sombre-hued. 
They cannot control the devas of high development, nor 
the fairies of colours blue, green and yellow, though a 
few of the red fairies can be made to work under their 
direction. The water elementals (though not the sprites 
or sylphs) move on occasion to their assistance, and in 
the control of these forces of involution they at times dam- 
age the furtherance of our work. 

Oft too the dark brother masquerades as an agent 
of the light, oft he poses as a messenger of the gods, but, 
for your assurance I would say, that he who acts under 
the guidance of the Ego will have clear vision, and will 
escape deception. 

At this time their power is ofttimes mighty. Why? 
Because so much exists as yet in the personalities of all 
men that responds to their vibration, and so it is easy for 
them to affect the bodies of men. So few of the races, com- 
paratively speaking, have as yet built in the higher vibra- 



134 DANGERS OF MEDITATION 

tion that responds to the key-note of the Brotherhood of 
Light, who move practically entirely on the two highest 
levels (or the atomic and sub-atomic sub-planes) of the 
mental, emotional and physical planes. When moving on 
these sub-planes the attacks of elementals on lower planes 
may be felt but effect no harm, hence the necessity of pure 
living and controlled pure emotions and elevated thought. 

You will notice that I said that the power of the dark 
brotherhood is dominant apparently on the physical and 
emotional planes. Not so is it on the mental, which is the 
plane on which the Brothers of the Light work. Mighty 
dark magicians may be located on the lower mental levels, 
but on the higher, the White Lodge dominates, the three 
higher sub-planes being the levels that They beg the evolv- 
ing sons of men to seek; it is Their region, to which all 
must strive and aspire. The dark brother impresses his 
will on human beings (if analogous vibration exists) and 
on the elemental kingdoms of involution. The Brothers 
of Light plead as pled the Man of Sorrows for an erring 
humanity to rise upward to the light. The dark brother 
retards progress and shapes all to his own ends; the 
Brother of Light bends every effort to the hastening of 
evolution and — foregoing all that might be His as the price 
of achievement — stays amid the fogs, the strife, the evil 
and the hatred of the period if, in so doing, He may by all 
means aid some, and (lifting them up out of the darkness 
of earth) set their feet upon the Mount, and enable them 
to surmount the Cross. 

And now what methods may be employed to safeguard 
the worker in the field of the world? What can be done to 
ensure his safety in the present strife and in the greater 
strife of the coming centuries? 

1 — A realisation that purity of all the vehicles is the 
prime essential. If a dark brother gains control over any 



DANGERS OF MEDITATION 135 

man it but shows that that man has in his life some weak 
spot. The door whereby entrance is effected must be 
opened by the man himself; the opening whereby malig- 
nant force can be poured in must be caused by the occupant 
of the vehicles. Therefore the need of scrupulous cleanli- 
ness of the physical body, of clean steady emotion per- 
mitted in the emotional body, and of purity of thought in 
the mental body. When this is so, co-ordination will be 
present in the lower vehicles and the indwelling Thinker 
himself permits no entrance. 

2 — The elimination of all fear. The forces of evolu- 
tion vibrate more rapidly than those of involution and in 
this fact lies a recognisable security. Fear causes weak- 
ness; weakness causes a disintegration; the weak spot 
breaks and a gap appears, and through that gap evil force 
may enter. The factor of entrance is the fear of the man 
himself, who opens thus the door. 

3 — A standing firm and unmoved, no matter what oc- 
curs. Your feet may be bathed in the mud of earth, but 
your head may be bathed in the sunshine of the higher 
regions. Recognition of the filth of earth involves not 
contamination. 

4 — A recognition of the use of common-sense and the 
application of this common-sense to the matter in 
hand. Sleep much and, in sleeping, learn to render the 
body positive; keep busy on the emotional plane and 
achieve the inner calm. Do naught to overtire the body 
physical, and play whenever possible. In hours of re- 
laxation comes the adjustment that obviates later tension. 



LETTER VI 

THE USE OF FORM IN MEDITATION 

a — The Use of Form in raising the consciousness, 
b — The Use of Form by the mystic and the occultist. 
c — Specific Forms, 
d — The Use of Form collectively. 



136 



LETTEK VI 
THE USE OF FORM IN MEDITATION 

August 6th, 1920 

Your very natural desire to have me give you in this 
sixth letter certain specific forms to achieve certain re- 
sults cannot be fully acquiesced in. I do not propose to 
outline for you any forms for careful following. The risks, 
as before I have pointed out, are too great apart from the 
supervision of a teacher at hand to watch reactions. These 
forms may later be given. The work is duly planned out 
for the coming generation of students, this series of letters 
having its place within that outline. What I intend to do 
today is something different. I purpose to do four things 
which we will separately take up and elucidate. These 
things, if duly assimilated and acted upon, will lead to 
further enlightenment. In the occult method of teaching 
step by step is given, point by point slowly laid before the 
pupil, and only as each step is taken and each point is 
grasped, will the next in order become clear. The teacher 
gives an indication, drops a hint, and touches some high 
light. The pupil follows the point emphasised, and finds 
on thus acting that further light pours in, another stage 
appears and other hints are dropped. In joint action and 
reaction therefore the occult student is trained by the 
occultist. 

In studying the topic "The use of form in meditation", 
the four divisions under which I seek to place the intended 
data are as follows: — 



137 



138 FORM IN MEDITATION 

1 — The use of Form in raising the consciousness. 

2 — The use of Form by the mystic and the occultist. 

3 — The use of specific forms for specific ends. 

4 — The use of Form collectively. 

In the exposition of these subjects you will see that 
what I am endeavoring to produce is a just apprehension 
of the value of forms in meditation and not the imparting 
of any definite method. I seek to show the essential nature 
of proceeding under law in this the most important means 
of bringing about union with the divine, and of producing 
that at-one-ment between the higher and the lower that is 
the aim of all evolution. I desire to leave in the minds of 
those who read these words a just apprehension of the re- 
lationship between spirit and matter which is the basis 
of all work of this nature. 

The method employed by the Logos in this the sec- 
ond solar system is definitely the use of form for purposes 
of manifestation, as a medium of expression and as the 
vehicle whereby the indwelling life may grow, expand, ex- 
perience and find itself. This is the case whether the form 
is an entire solar system, whether it is a human being in 
his complexity, or whether it is a form built by that human 
being in his endeavor to realise and know, — a form built 
for the very purpose of providing a vehicle whereby the 
consciousness may, by set stages, raise itself step by step 
to some visualised point. This brings us to our first point : 
1 — The use of form in raising the consciousness. 

We have under this heading to consider three things : 

a — The Consciousness itself. 

b — The goal towards which it seeks to rise. 

c — The steps whereby it succeeds. 

Each unit of the human race is a part of the divine 
consciousness, and is that which is conscious of, or is aware 
of something without itself, — something which knows it- 



FORM IN MEDITATION 139 

self to be differentiated from the vehicle which encloses it 
or the forms which environ it. 

At this particular stage in evolution the average man 
is simply conscious of differentiation, or of being separated 
off from all other members of the human family, thus form- 
ing in himself a unit among other units. He acknowledges 
this and acknowledges the right of all other separated 
units so to consider themselves. He adds to this a recog- 
nition that somewhere in the universe there exists a su- 
preme Consciousness, Whom he theoretically calls, God, or 
Nature. Between this purely selfish point of view (I use 
the term "selfish" in the scientific sense and not as a be- 
littling adjective) and the nebulous theory of God im- 
manent, there are to be found numerous stages, at each of 
which occurs an expansion of consciousness, or an enlarge- 
ment of the point of view, that leads that self -recognising 
unit, step by step, from self-recognition to the recognition 
of superior selves, to the fitting of himself to be likewise 
recognized as a superior self, and eventually to the oc- 
cult recognition of his own superior Self. He comes to 
recognise his Higher Self or Ego as his true Self, and from 
that stage passes on into that of the group consciousness. 
Here he realises first his egoic group and then other egoic 
groups. 

This stage is succeeded by the recognition of the uni- 
versal principle of Brotherhood; it involves not just a 
theoretical recognition, but a merging of the consciousness 
into that of the human consciousness, in its entirety; this 
is really that development of consciousness which enables 
a man to realise not only his egoic group affiliations but 
his place in the human Hierarchy on its own plane. He 
knows himself in fact as a part of one of the great Heaven- 
ly Men. This expands later into an almost inconceivably 



140 FORM IN MEDITATION 

vast point of view — that of his place in the Grand Heaven- 
ly Man, as represented by the Logos Himself. 

This is as far as we need go for our purpose, for this 
series of letters aims not at the development of cosmic 
consciousness. 

It will therefore be apparent to you that all these 
stages have to be taken systematically and that each one 
has to be mastered step by step. It is necessary first to 
grasp that the place where the expansion takes place, and 
the realisation has to be felt, has to be finally in the think- 
ing waking consciousness. The Ego on its own plane may 
be well aware of the unity of its consciousness with all 
other consciousnesses, and be realising his group as one 
with himself, but until the man (in physical plane con- 
sciousness) has raised himself to that same plane and is 
likewise aware of his group consciousness, and likewise re- 
gards himself as the higher Self within the egoic group and 
not as a separated unit, it is of no more use than a 
recognised theory is of use when not carried out in experi- 
ence. 

The man has to experience these stages in his physical 
consciousness and to know experimentally and not just 
theoretically that whereof I speak before he is deemed 
ready to pass on into the succeeding stages. The whole 
matter resolves itself into the expansion of the mind until 
it dominates the lower, and into the faculty of abstract 
conception which results eventually in physical plane 
manifestation. It means making your highest theories 
and ideals demonstrable facts and it is that blending of 
the higher and the lower and the equipping of that lower 
until it provides a fitting expression for the higher. It is 
here that the practice of meditation plays its part. The 
true scientific meditation provides graded forms whereby 



FORM IN MEDITATION 141 

the consciousness is raised and the mind expanded until it 
embraces : 

1 — Its family and friends. 

2 — Its environing associates. 

3 — Its affiliated groups. 

4 — Its egoic group. 

5 — Other egoic groups. 

6 — That Man of the Heavens of which the egoic 

groups form a centre. 
7 — The Grand Heavenly Man. 

To effect this certain forms will be laid down later, 
that (working along the line of a man's ray) will teach 
him in graded steps to do this. You will note that I have 
dealt with the consciousness itself and the goal it aspires 
to and have thus dealt with our first two points. This 
brings me to our last subsidiary heading, the steps where- 
by attainment eventuates. 

Each man who enters upon occult development and 
who aspires towards the higher, has passed the stage of 
the average man, — the man who regards himself from the 
purely isolated standpoint and who works for what is good 
for himself. The aspirant is aiming at something differ- 
ent; he seeks to merge himself with his higher Self and 
with all that is entailed when we use that term. The 
stages beyond that, in all their intricacies, are the secrets 
of Initiation and with them we have naught to do. 

Aspiration towards the Ego and the bringing in of that 
higher consciousness with the subsequent development of 
group consciousness very directly concern all who will 
read these letters. It is the next step ahead for those up- 
on the Probationary Path. It is not achieved by simply 
giving thirty minutes a day to certain set forms of medita- 
tion. It involves an hour by hour attempt, all day long and 



142 FORM IN MEDITATION 

every day, to keep the consciousness as near to the high 
pitch attained in the morning meditation as possible. It 
presumes a determination to consider oneself at all times 
as the Ego, and not as a differentiated personality. Later, 
as the Ego comes more and more into control, it will in- 
volve also the ability to look upon oneself as part of a 
group with no interests and desires, no aims or wishes 
apart from the good of that group. It necessitates a con- 
stant watchfulness every hour of the day to prevent the 
falling back into the lower vibration. It entails a constant 
battle with the lower self that drags down ; it is a ceaseless 
fight to preserve the higher vibration. And — which is the 
point I am aiming to impress upon you — the aim should 
be the development of the habit of meditation all the day 
long, and the living in the higher consciousness till that 
consciousness is so stable that the lower mind desire, and 
the physical elementals, became so atrophied and starved 
through lack of nourishment that the three-fold lower na- 
ture becomes simply the means whereby the Ego contacts 
the world for purposes of helping the race. 

In so doing he is accomplishing something that is little 
realised by the average student. He is building a form, 
a definite thought-form that eventually provides a vehicle 
whereby he steps out of the lower consciousness into the 
higher, a kind of mayavirupa that acts as his intermediate 
channel. These forms are usually, though not invariably, 
of two kinds : — 

The student builds a form daily, with care and love 
and attention, of his Master, to him the embodiment of 
the ideal higher consciousness. He lays the outline of this 
form in meditation and builds in the fabric in his daily 
life and thought. The form is provided with all the vir- 
tues, scintillates with all the colours, and is vivified, first 
of all, by the love of the man for his Master, and later 



FORM IN MEDITATION 143 

(when adequate for the purpose) it is vitalised by the Mas- 
ter Himself. At a certain stage in development this form 
provides the ground for the occult experience of entering 
into the higher consciousness. The man recognises himself 
as a part of the Master's consciousness and through that 
all embracing consciousness slips into the egoic group 
soul consciously. This form provides the medium for that 
experience until such a time as it can be dispensed with, 
and the man can at will transfer himself into his group, 
and later consciously dwell there permanently. This 
method is the one most largely used, and is the path of 
love and devotion. 

In the second method the student pictures himself 
as the ideal man. He visualises himself as the exponent 
of all the virtues, and he attempts in his daily life to make 
himself what he visualises himself to be. This method is 
employed by the more mental types, the intellectuals, and 
those whose ray is not so coloured by love, by devotion or 
by harmony. It is not so common as the first. The men- 
tal thought-form thus built up serves as the mayavirupa 
as did the other and the man passes from these forms into 
the higher consciousness. As you therefore see, in building 
these forms certain steps will have to be taken and each 
type will build the form somewhat differently. 

The first type will start with some beloved in- 
dividual, and from that individual, will rise through vari- 
ous other individuals to the Master. 

The other type will start with meditation on the vir- 
tue most desired, add virtue to virtue in the building of 
the form of the ideal self until all the virtues have been 
attempted and the Ego is suddenly contacted. 

Tomorrow we will take up this same subject from a 
different angle and study the difference between the oc- 
cultist and the mystic. 



144 FORM IN MEDITATION 

August 8th, 1920 

2 — Form as used by the occultist and the mystic. 

The subject of this letter today will interest you for 
we are to take up form as used by the occultist and the 
mystic. 

It might be of value to us, if we first differentiated 
with care between the two types. I would begin by a state- 
ment of fact. The mystic is not necessarily an occultist, 
but the occultist embraces the mystic. Mysticism is but 
one step on the path of occultism. In this solar system — 
the system of love in activity — the path of least resistance 
for the majority is that of the mystic, or the path of love 
and devotion. In the next solar system the path of least 
resistance will be that which w T e now understand as the 
occult path. The mystic path will have been trodden. 
Wherein lies the difference between these two types? 

The mystic deals with the evolving life ; the Occultist 
deals with the form. 

The mystic deals with the God within; the occultist 
w T ith God in outer manifestation. 

The mystic works from the centre to the periphery; 
the occultist reverses the process. 

The mystic mounts by aspiration and intensest de- 
votion to the God within or to the Master Whom he 
recognises: the occultist attains by the recognition of the 
law in operation and by the wielding of the law which 
binds matter and conforms it to the needs of the indwelling 
life. In this manner the occultist arrives at those Intelli- 
gences Who work with the law, till he attains the funda- 
mental Intelligence Himself. 

The mystic works through the Rays of Love, Harmony 
and Devotion, or by the path of the second, the fourth and 
the sixth Rays. The occultist works through the Rays of 



FORM IN MEDITATION 145 

Power, Activity, and Ceremonial Law, or the first, the 
third and the seventh. Both meet and blend through the 
development of mind, or through the fifth Ray of Concrete 
Knowledge, (a fragment of cosmic intelligence) and on 
this fifth Ray the mystic is resolved into the occultist and 
works then with all the rays. 

By finding the kingdom of God within himself and by 
the study of the laws of his own being, the mystic becomes 
proficient in the laws which govern the universe of which 
he is a part. The occultist recognises the kingdom of God 
in nature or the system and regards himself as a small part 
of that greater whole, and therefore governed by the same 
laws. 

The mystic works as a general rule under the depart- 
ment of the World Teacher, or the Christ, and the occultist 
more frequently under that of the Manu, or Ruler, but » 
when both types have passed through the four minor rays 
in the department of the Lord of Civilisation, then comple- 
tion of their development may be seen, and the mystic be- 
comes the occultist and the occultist includes the char- 
acteristics of the mystic. To make it more simple for gen- 
eral comprehension : — after initiation the mystic is merged 
in the occultist for he has become a student of occult law ; 
he has to work with matter, with its manipulation and 
uses, and he has to master and control all lower forms of 
manifestation, and learn the rules whereby the building 
devas work. Before initiation the mystic path might be 
expressed by the term, Probationary Path. Before the oc- 
cultist can manipulate wisely the matter of the solar sys- 
tem he must have mastered the laws that govern the micro- 
cosm, and even though he is naturally on the occult path 
yet he will still have to find the God within his own being 
before he can safely venture on the path of occult law. 

The mystic seeks to work from the emotional to the 



146 FORM IN MEDITATION 

intuitional, and thence to the Monad, or Spirit. The oc- 
cultist works from the physical to the mental, and thence 
to the atma or Spirit. One works along the line of love; 
the other along the line of will. The mystic fails in the 
purpose of his being— that of love demonstrated in activity 
— unless he co-ordinates the whole through the use of in- 
telligent will. Therefore he has to become the occultist. 

The occultist similarly fails and becomes only a self- 
ish exponent of power working through intelligence, un- 
less he finds a purpose for that will and knowledge by an 
animating love which will give to him sufficient motive for 
all that he attempts. 

I have attempted to make clear to you the distinction 
between these two groups, as the importance of the matter 
is great when studying meditation. The form used by the 
two types is entirely different and when seen clairvoyantly 
is very interesting. 
The mystic form. 

The expression, "the mystic form", is almost a para- 
doxical remark, for the mystic — if left to himself — elimi- 
nates the form altogether. He concentrates upon the God 
within, brooding on that inner centre of consciousness ; he 
seeks to link that centre with other centres — such as his 
Master, or some saint, or even with the supreme Logos 
Himself — and to mount by the line of life, paying no at- 
tention whatsoever to the environing sheaths. He works 
along the path of fire. "Our God is a consuming fire" is 
to him a literal statement of fact, and of realised truth. 
He rises from fire to fire, and from graded realisations of 
the indwelling Fire till he touches the fire of the universe. 
r The only form that the mystic may be said to use would 
1 be a ladder of fire or a cross of fire, by means of which he 
\ elevates his consciousness to the desired point. He con- 
centrates on abstractions, on attributes more than on as- 



FORM IN MEDITATION 147 

pects, and on the life side more than the concrete. He 
aspires, he burns, he harmonises, he loves and he works 
through devotion. He meditates by attempting to elimin- 
ate the concrete mind altogether, and aspires to leap from 
the plane of the emotions to that of the intuition. 

He has the faults of his type, — dreamy, visionary, 
impractical, emotional, and lacking that quality of mind 
that we call discrimination. He is intuitive, prone to 
martyrdom and self-sacrifice. Before he can achieve and 
before he can take initiation he has three things to do : — 

First, by meditation, to bring his whole nature under 
rule, and to learn to build the forms, and hence to learn 
their value. 

Secondly, to develop appreciation of the concrete, and 
to learn clearly the place within the scheme of things of 
the various sheaths through which the life he so much loves 
has to manifest. He has to work at his mental body and 
bring it to the store house of facts before he can proceed 
much further. 

Thirdly, to learn through the intelligent study of the 
microcosm, his little spirit-matter system, the dual value 
of the macrocosm. 

Instead of only knowing the fire that burns he has to 

understand and work through the fire that builds, that 

/ fuses and develops form. He has, through meditation, to 

learn the three-fold use of Fire. This last sentence is of 

very real importance and I seek to emphasise it. 

August 10th, 1920. 

The occult form. 

We studied, two days ago, the method whereby the 
mystic attains union, and outlined very briefly the path 
whereby he attempts to reach his goal. Today we will out- 



148 FORM IN MEDITATION 

line as briefly the course taken by the occultist, and his 
type of meditation, contrasting it with that of the mystic, 
and pointing out later how the two have to merge and their 
individual elements be fused into one. 

The line of form is, for the occultist, the line of least 
resistance, and incidentally I might here interpolate a 
thought. That fact being admitted, we may therefore look 
with some certainty at this time for a rapid development 
of occult knowledge, and for the appearance of some true 
occultists. Ity the coming in of the seventh Ray, the Ray 
of Form or Ritual, the finding of the occult path, and the 
assimilation of occult knowledge is powerfully facilitated. 
The occultist is at first occupied more with the form 
through which the Deity manifests than with the Deity 
Himself,and it is here that the fundamental difference be- 
tween the two types is at first apparent. The mystic 
eliminates or endeavours to transcend mind in his process 
of finding the Self. The occultist, through his intelligent 
interest in the forms which veil the Self and by the em- 
ployment of the principle of mind on both its levels, ar- 
rives at the same point. He recognises the sheaths that 
veil. He applies himself to the study of the laws that gov- 
ern the manifested solar system. He concentrates on the 
objective, and in his earlier years may at times overlook 
the value of the subjective. He arrives eventually at the 
central life by the elimination, through conscious know- 
ledge and control, of sheath after sheath. He meditates 
upon form until the form is lost sight of, and the creator 
of the form becomes all in all. 
^ He, like the mystic, has three things to do : — 

1 — He has to learn the law and to apply that law to 
himself. Rigid self-discipline is his method, and neces- 
sarily so, for the dangers threatening the occultist are not 
those of the mystic. Pride, selfishness, and a wielding of 



FORM IN MEDITATION 149 

the law from curiosity or desire for power have to be burnt 
out of him before the secrets of the Path can safely be en- 
trusted to his care. 

2 — In meditation he has, through the form built, to 
concentrate upon the indwelling life. He has to seek the 
inner burning fire that irradiates all forms that shelter 
the divine life. 

3 — Through the scientific study of the macrocosm, 
"the kingdom of God without", he has to reach a point 
where he locates that kingdom likewise within. 

Here therefore is the merging point of the mystic and 
the occultist. Here their paths become one. I spoke 
earlier in this letter of the interest to the clairvoyant in 
noting the difference in the forms built by the mystic and 
the occultist in meditation. I might touch on some of the 
differences for your interest, though until such vision is 
yours my point may be but words to you. 
Occult and mystic forms clairvoyantly seen. 

The mystic who is meditating has built before him 
and around him an outline nebulous, inchoate, and 
cloudy, and in such a way that he himself forms the centre 
of the form. Frequently, according to the trend of his 
mind, the nucleus of the form may be some favourite sym- 
bol such as a cross, an altar, or even his pictured idea of 
one of the Great Ones. This form will be wreathed in the 
mists of devotion, and will pulsate with floods of colour 
bespeaking aspiration, love and ardent longing. The 
colours built in will be of singular purity and clarity 
and will mount up until they reach a great height. Ac- 
cording to the capacity of the man to aspire and to love 
will be the density and the beauty of the ascending clouds ; 
according to his stability of temperament will be the ac- 
curacy of the inner symbol or picture around which the 
clouds of colour circulate. 



150 FOKM IN MEDITATION 

The forms built by the man of an occult trend of 
thought, and who is more dominated by mind, will be of a 
geometrical type. The outlines will be clear, and will be 
apt to be rigid. The form will be more painstakingly built 
and the man, during meditation, will proceed with greater 
care and accuracy. He will (if I may so express it) take 
a pride in the manipulation of the material that goes to 
the building of the form. Matter of the mental plane will 
be more apparent and — though certain clouds of emotional 
matter may be added to the whole — matter of the emotion- 
al plane will be of secondary importance. The colours em- 
ployed may be of equal clarity, but they are apportioned 
with specific intent, and the form stands out clearly and 
is not lost in the upward surge of emotional colours as 
the mystical form is apt to be. 

Later, when the man in either case has reached a point 
of more rounded out development, and is both an occultist 
and a mystic, the forms built will combine both qualifica- 
tions, and be things of rare beauty. 

This will suffice for today, but I would like to outline 
for you the ideas that must be brought out later. We will 
deal with the use of forms in achieving specific results, 
and though it is not my intention to give or outline such 
forms, I wish to group them for you so that later when 
the Teacher moves among men He may find ready appre- 
hension among students everywhere. 

1 — Forms used in work on the three bodies. 
2 — Forms on certain rays. 
3 — Forms used in healing. 
4 — Mantrams. 

5 — Forms used in one of the three Departments : — 
a — The Manu's Department. 



FORM IN MEDITATION 151 

b — The Department of the World Teacher or the 

Christ, 
c — The Department of the Lord of Civilisation. 

6 — Forms for calling elementals. 
7 — Forms for contacting the devas. 
8 — Special forms connected with Fire. 

August 11th, 1920. 

Periods of physical weakness are of value only 

for the reason that they demonstrate the absolute neces- 
sity there is for the worker to build a strong body before 
he can accomplish much, and the importance of good 
health before the disciple can go forward on the Path. We 
cannot permit those we teach to do certain things, nor 
inform them along certain lines unless their physical 
vehicles are in good shape, and unless the handicap of ill 
health and disease is practically negligible, and the karma 
of accidental trouble almost completely obviated in the 
personal life. National or group karma occasionally in- 
volves a pupil, and upsets somewhat the plans, but this is 
unavoidable and can seldom be offset. 

The use of specific forms for specific ends. 

Until now we have dealt more with the personal 
aspects of meditation, and have considered the two types 
that are practically universal and fundamental, having 
studied briefly, (a) Meditation as followed by the mystic, 
and (b) Meditation as pursued by the occultist. 

We have largely generalised and have not in any way 
attempted to enter into particulars. It is neither desirable 
at this stage nor proper. At a certain point in meditation, 
nevertheless, when the pupil has made the desired progress 
and covered certain specific stages and attained certain 



152 FORM IN MEDITATION 

objectives (which attainment can be ascertained by a re- 
view of the pupiFs causal body) and when a foundation 
of right living has been laid which neither storms nor at- 
tack will be liable easily to upset or destroy, the Teacher 
may impart to the earnest pupil instructions whereby he 
can build in mental matter and under definite rules, forms 
that will lead to specific actions and reactions. These 
forms will be imparted gradually, and at times the pupil 
(this especially at first) may not be in the least conscious 
of the results achieved. He will obey the orders, say the 
imparted words, or work through the outlined formulas, 
and the results attained may do their work even though the 
pupil is unconscious of the fact. Later — especially after 
initiation, as the subtler faculties come into activity, and 
the centres are rotating in fourth dimensional order — he 
may be aware of the effects of his meditation on the emo- 
tional and mental planes. 

Results never concern us. Strict obedience to the 
law, and steady adherence to the rules laid down, with 
skill in action aimed at are the part of the wise pupil. The 
effects then are sure, and carry no karma with them. 

Let us take up each of the forms in order, but 

first I would give a warning. I do not intend to outline 
forms, or to give specific instructions as to how the results 
indicated may be achieved. That will be done later, but 
when it is not possible to say. So much depends upon the 
work done during the next seven years, or on the group 
karma, also on the progress made, not only by the human 
hierarchy, but by the deva or angel evolution as well. The 
secret of it all lies hid in the seventh Ceremonial Ray, 
and the hour for the next step onward will be given by 
the seventh Planetary Logos, working in conjunction with 
the three Great Lords, especially with the Lord of the third 
department. 



FOEM IN MEDITATION 153 

Forms used in work on the three bodies. 

These forms will be some of the first revealed, and al- 
ready in the various meditations advocated by the wise 
Guides of the race you have some of the lesser foundation 
outlines designed for working on the lower mind. These 
forms will be based on the special need of any one body, 
and will seek through the manipulation of matter to build 
that which is needed to fill the gap, and thus to supply 
the deficiency. This manipulation will be begun first on 
the etheric matter of the physical body, by forms of 
breathing (respiration and inspiration), and by certain 
rhythmic currents set up on the mental plane and driving 
from thence to the lower ethers. The etheric body will 
thus be strengthened, purified, cleansed, and re-arranged. 
Many of the diseases of the dense physical body originate 
in the etheric, and it will be an object of attention at as 
early a date as possible. 

The emotional body likewise will be dealt with 
through special forms, and when the pupil has strenuously 
cultivated the quality of discrimination, and made it a 
working factor in his life then these forms will be gradual- 
ly imparted. But until he can distinguish somewhat be- 
tween the real and the unreal, and until his sense of pro- 
portion is wisely adjusted, the emotional plane should be 
for him a battle ground, and not a field for experimenta- 
tion. Let me illustrate the type of work that these forms 
which work on emotional matter will accomplish. The 
aim of the pupil who treads the Path is to build an emo- 
tional body that is composed of matter of the higher sub- 
planes, is clear and sensitive, an accurate transmitter, and 
which is characterised by a stable vibration, a steady 
rhythmic motion, and is not prone to violent storms and 
the agitating effects of uncontrolled emotion. When the 
idealism is high, when the percentage of matter of the two 



154 FOEM IN MEDITATION 

higher sub-planes is approaching somewhat the desired 
figure, and when the pupil recognises practically all the 
time that he is not his vehicles, but is indeed the divine 
Dweller within them, then certain things will be imparted 
to him, which — when carefully followed out — will do two 
things : — 

They will act directly on his emotional body, driving 
out foreign or lower matter, and stablising his vibration. 

They will build in emotional matter a body or form 
that he can use for certain work, and can employ as his 
agent to attain results that will be part of the purificatory 
and constructive work of the emotional body. This is as 
much as can be said, but it will serve to show the type of 
form aimed at. 
Ray forms. 

This is a profoundly interesting and vast subject, and 
may only be indicated in general terms. Certain forms, 
built up on the numerical aspect of the various rays are 
the special property of those rays and embody their geo- 
metrical significance, demonstrating their place in the 
system. Some of these forms being on the concrete rays or 
building rays are the line of least resistance for the occult- 
ist, whilst other forms on the abstract or attributive rays 
are more easily followed by the mystic. 

These forms are for three objects : — 

a. They put the pupil in direct contact with his own 
Kay, either the egoic or personality ray. 

b. They link him up with his group on the inner 
planes, either the group of servers, the group of invisible 
helpers, or later with his egoic group. 

c. They tend to merge the occult and the mystic paths 
in the life of the pupil. Should he be on the mystic path 
he will work at the forms upon the Bays of Aspect, and 
so develop knowledge of the concrete side of Nature — that 



FORM IN MEDITATION 155 

side which works under law. You can reverse the case 
for the man of occult tendency, till the time comes when 
the paths merge and all forms are alike to the Initiate. 
You have to remember that at this point of merging a man 
works ever primarily on his own ray when he has trans- 
cended the personality and found the egoic note. Then he 
manipulates matter of his own ray, and works through his 
own ray-forms with their six representative sub-ray forms 
until he is adept, and knows the secret of synthesis. 
These forms are taught by the Teacher to the pupil. 

You will find that though I have imparted but little 
on this subject, yet, if you brood over what I have given, 
it contains much. It may give those who wisely 
assimilate it the key they seek for their next step on. I 
may touch on this and somewhat enlarge when we take 
up the subject of access to the Masters through meditation. 
Forms used in healing. 

We must touch now on these forms, remembering first 
of all that they will be necessarily arranged in three 
groups, each with many subsidiary heads. 

a. Forms for use in physical healing. You would be 
surprised how seldom these forms will be required, and 
how few in number therefore they are. The reason for 
this is, that very few of the troubles of the dense physical 
body arise within that body itself. A few arise directly in 
the etheric body, but at this stage of evolution most of the 
troubles arise in the emotional body, and the remainder in 
the mental. We might generalise and say that: 

25% of the ills flesh is heir to, arise in the etheric body. 

25% in the mental body. 

50% find their origin in the emotional body. 
Therefore, though accidents may occur which lead to un- 
expected physical disaster and for which forms for healing 
may be given, yet the wise student will find that the forms 



156 FORM IN MEDITATION 

that affect the etheric body may be the first point of de- 
parture. These forms, built up in meditation, will act 
directly on the pranic channels that go to the make-up of 
the etheric — that intricate web which has its counterpart 
in the circulatory system of the dense physical body. They 
are the seat of much of the present disease in that body, 
either directly or through causes set up on the emotional 
plane and re-acting on the etheric. 

b. Forms for healing the emotional body. As said 
above, much of the present sickness is due to causes set up 
in the emotional body and these causes are mainly three. 
I would point out that I but outline broadly and give gen- 
eral indications. 

Violent emotion and unstable vibration. This, if 
indulged in, has a shattering effect and re-acts on the 
nervous system. If suppressed and inhibited it has an 
equally dangerous effect, and results in a diseased con- 
dition of the liver, in bilious attacks, in the poisons which 
are generated in the system and find their outlet in certain 
cases of septic poisoning, in skin diseases, and in some 
forms of anemia. 

Fear and forbodings, worry and despair. These 
types of emotion — which are so common — have a general 
debilitating effect on the system, leading to loss of vitality, 
to sluggish action of the organs, and to many forms of 
obscure diseases of the nervous system, of the brain and 
of the spine. 

Sex emotions, covering a very large range of feel- 
ing, ranging from the suppressed sex emotion which is now 
beginning to be studied by our psychologists to the 
unclean criminal emotion that finds its expression in 
violent orgies and license. 

Under all these heads many points may be gathered, 



FORM IX MEDITATION 157 

but I write not letters on healing, but letters on medita- 
tion, so I must not further enlarge. 

In the forms used in these three cases attention will 
be paid to the cause of the trouble, to the plane on which 
it originates, and to the effects on the lower bodies or body. 
In apportioning forms different aims will be in view. 
Where, for instance, the trouble is based on suppressed 
emotion, the effect of the form (when rightly followed) 
will be to transmute the emotion and turn it upward. 
When, by right use, the emotional body is cleared of the 
emotional congestion, the life-giving forces of the Ego, and 
of the pranic life everywhere available, will be set free. 
They can then circulate with facility, tuning up the entire 
system and cleansing all organs that were suffering from 
the inner congestion. 

c. Forms for mental healing. These will be, for the 
majority of you, much more obscure, and in fact mental 
trouble is far more difficult to cure than either of the 
other two. This is due to two causes, one being that our 
polarisation as a race is not yet in the mental body. It 
is always much more easy to contact a body and to manipu- 
late it when it is the seat of the centre of consciousness. 
The emotional body likewise, being more nuidic, is more 
easily impressed. I cannot enlarge upon the troubles of 
the mental body today save to point out that these causes 
may arise within the mental body itself as a karmic in- 
heritance, or may originate on the emotional plane and 
work their way back into the mental body. For instance, 
a person may be prone to some emotional storm. This — if 
persisted in — may set up an analogous vibration in the 
mental body. This vibration in its turn may become 
practically permanent, and by the interaction of these two 
bodies serious trouble may be set up. This trouble may 
go all the way from simply causing a general souring of 



158 FOKM IN MEDITATION 

the personality, so that the man is recognised as an un- 
happy unpleasant individual, to definite brain disease, re- 
sulting in lunacy, brain tumours and cancer in the head. 

For all these troubles forms of meditation may be 
found which — if followed in time — will eventually dissi- 
pate them. The fundamental fact to be grasped here is, 
that only when the pupil has an intelligent appreciation 
of the trouble or troubles affecting him, only when he has 
the ability to conscientiously follow the imparted form- 
ulas, and only when his object is unselfish, will he be 
trusted with these forms. When his object is to equip him- 
self for service, when he aims only at the acquirement of 
healthy vehicles for the better carrying out of the plan of 
the Great Ones, and when he desires not to escape disease 
for his own personal benefit, only then will the formulas 
be imparted and the instructions given. These formulas 
work in connection with the egoic consciousness. 
The downflow of life from the God within results in sound 
vehicles, so that it is only as the Personality becomes 
merged in the Ego, and the polarisation shifts from the 
lower to the higher that the work becomes possible. That 
time is nearing now for many, and progress in the new 
medical school — based on thought — can be looked for. 
Forms in meditation are but forms in thought matter, so 
that it will be apparent to you that a general beginning 
has been made. 

One more hint on this matter I give: — Through the 
various centres of the body — those seven centres with 
which the pupil has to do — will come the power to heal the 
corresponding physical centre. As the centres are vital- 
ised certain physical effects will be demonstrable, and in 
specific forms that work on and through the centres will 
come results that may throw light on this obscure matter 
of healing through the subtle bodies. 



FORM IN MEDITATION 159 

August 12th, 1920 



Mantric forms. 



We must today coutiuue the discussion on the forms 
that will some day be in common use among the students of 
occult meditation. We have touched upon three of the 
forms, and five more remain to be dealt with. 

Mantric forms are collections of phrases, words, and 
sounds which by virtue of rhythmic effect achieve results 
that would not be possible apart from them. These man- 
tric forms are too numerous to study here; suffice it to 
indicate somewhat the types of mantrams there will be 
in use, or are now in use among those privileged to use 
them. 

There are mantric forms based entirely on the 
Sacred Word. These, sounded rhythmically and on cer- 
tain keys, accomplish certain results, such as the involdng 
of protective angels; they lead to certain effects, either 
objective or subjective. These forms or mantrams are 
much more in use among orientals and in the eastern 
faiths than at present among occidentals. As the power 
of sound is more completely understood and its effect 
studied, these mantrams will be adopted in the Occident. 

Some of them are very old and when enunciated in 
the original Sanskrit have unbelievably powerful effects. 
So powerful are they that they are not permitted to be 
known by the ordinary student and are only orally im- 
parted during preparation for initiation. 

There are a few very esoteric mantrams that exist 
in the original Sensa, and that have remained in the 
knowledge of the Brotherhood from the early days of the 
founding of the Hierarchy. They were brought by the 
Lords of Flame when They came to earth and are only 



160 FORM IN MEDITATION 

thirty-five in number. They form the key that unlocks 
the mysteries of each sub-plane on the five planes of human 
evolution. The adept receives instruction on their use, 
and can employ them in the right place and subject to 
certain conditions. They are the most powerful known on 
our planet and their effects are far-reaching. As you 
know, each plane vibration responds to a different key and 
note, and its matter is manipulated, and its current tapped, 
by the sounding of certain words in a specific manner, and 
in a specific tone. When so sounded, the adept enters into 
the consciousness of that plane and of all contained there- 
in. Mantrams in any tongue are founded on them, even 
though so far removed and unlike as to be practically use- 
less. 

Certain of these original mantrams are chanted in 
unison by the Brotherhood on great occasions, or when the 
united power of the Lodge is required to effect desired 
ends. Great events are inaugurated by the sounding of 
their key note with appropriate words employed; each 
root-race has its mantric chord known to those who work 
with races. 

Again there are, as you know, certain mantrams 
in Sanskrit that are employed by students in meditation 
to call the attention of some one Master. These man- 
trams are communicated to Their disciples, and by their 
means the Master's attention is attracted, and His assist- 
ance called for. 

Other and greater formulas are sometimes imparted 
by which the three Great Lords may be contacted, and 
Their attention drawn in any specific direction. 

A mantram, when rightly sounded forth, creates a 
vacuum in matter, resembling a funnel. This funnel is 
formed betwixt the one who sounds it forth, and the one 
who is reached by the sound. There is then formed a direct 



FORM IN MEDITATION 161 

channel of communication. You will see therefore why it 
is that these forms are so carefully guarded and the words 
and keys concealed. Their indiscriminate use would but 
result in disaster. A certain point in evolution has to be 
reached, and a similarity of vibration somewhat achieved, ). 
before the privilege is afforded the pupil of being custo- 
dian of a mantram whereby he may call his Master. 

There are also seven mantrams that are known to the 
three Great Lords and the Heads of the Hierarchy, where- 
by They can call the seven Planetary Logoi, or the seven 
"Spirits before the Throne" as They are called in the 
Christian Bible. One of these mantrams, which causes 
contact with the Logos of our planet, is known to the 
adepts as well. So the scale is mounted, and the Words 
are sounded forth, until we reach the mantram of our 
planet, which is based on the key of the Earth, and em- 
bodies a phrase which sums up our evolution. Each 
planet has some such note or phrase whereby its guides 
may contact their Planetary Logos. The seven Logoi in 
Their turn have Their available ritual or form whereby 
They can communicate with the three-fold Lord of the 
Solar System. This is done always four times a year, or 
when urgent need arises. 

Once a year the entire Hierarchy employs a composite 
mantram that creates a vacuum between the highest and 
the lowest members of that Hierarchy and on up — via the 
seven planetary Logoi — to the Logos Himself. It marks 
the moment of intensest spiritual effort and vitalisation 
during the year, and its effects last throughout the inter- 
vening months. Its effect is cosmic, and links us up with 
our cosmic centre. 

Eay mantrams. Each ray has its own formulas 
and sounds which have a vital effect upon the units 



162 FORM IN MEDITATION 

gathered on those rays. The effect of sounding it by the 
student of meditation is three-fold: 

1. It links him and aligns him with his Higher 
Self or Ego. 

2. It puts him in contact with his Master, and 
through that Master with one of the Great 
Lords, — dependent upon the ray. 

3. It links him with his egoic group and binds all 
into one composite whole, vibrating to one note. 

These mantrams are one of the secrets of the last three 
initiations and may not be sounded by the pupil before 
that time without permission, though he may participate 
at times in the chanting of the mantram under the 
Master's direction. 

Mantrams, or formulas of words, sung by the 
pupil, which have direct effect on one of the three bodies. 
These mantrams are largely already in use — though in a 
much distorted degree — in the services of the religious 
bodies in all lands. Some light on them is being communi- 
cated in the ritual of the Church The passwords, 

etc., as used in Masonry — though practically valueless 
now — are based on the use of mantrams and some day 
when there is an Initiate Head to all these organisations 
(such as Masonry, various esoteric societies, and relig- 
ious bodies) the old mantrams will be given back in pure 
form to the peoples. 

There are also mantrams for use in healing, and 
for the development of certain psychic faculties. Some 
mantrams have a direct effect on the centres of the body, 
and will later be used under the guidance of the Master 
for increasing vibration, for causing fourth dimensional 
movement, and for the complete vivification of the centre. 



FORM IN MEDITATION 163 

Still other mantrams act upon the hidden fire, but I 
will deal with them a little later. There are numerous 
oriental books on the subject, which is so vast a one that 
I caution the student from investigating much. It would 
but prove for the worker in the world a waste of time. I 
have touched upon the matter because no book on medita- 
tion would be complete without a reference to what will 
some day supersede all preliminary meditation. When 
the race has reached a certain point of development, and 
when the higher mind holds greater sway, these occult 
mantrams — rightly imparted and rightly enunciated — will 
be part of the ordinary curriculum of the student. He 
will start his meditation by the use of his Ray mantram, 
thereby adjusting his position in the scheme ; he will follow 
this with the mantram that calls his Master, and which 
puts him en rapport with the Hierarchy. Then he will be- 
gin to meditate with his bodies adjusted, and with the 
vacuum formed that may then be used as a medium of 
communication. 

August 13th, 1920 

Forms used in one of the three departments. 

The interest of what I have to communicate today is 
very great, for we have to take up the matter of the forms 
used in the Departments of the Manu, the World Teacher 
and the Mahachohan, or the Lord of Civilisation. 

These three Departments represent in the Hierarchy 
the three aspects of the Logos as manifested in the Solar 
System, — the Aspect of Will or Power, the Aspect of Love 
and Wisdom (which is the basic aspect for this system), 
and the Aspect of Activity or Intelligence. You know 
from your studies the work undertaken by these depart- 
ments. 



164 FOKM IN MEDITATION 

The Manu manipulates matter and is occupied with 
the evolution of form, whether it is the dense physical 
form of animal, mineral, flower, human being or planet, 
or the form of races, nations, devas or the other evolutions. 

The Boddhisattva or World Teacher works with the 
evolving life within the form, with the implanting of relig- 
ious ideas and with the development of philosophical con- 
cepts both in individuals and races. 

The Mahachohan, who synthesises the four lower rays, 
deals with mind or intelligence, and, in collaboration 
with His Brothers, controls the evolution of mind whereby 
the Spirit or Self utilises the form or the Not- Self. 

The synthetic work of the three Great Lords is incon- 
ceivably great. Form — Life — Intelligence, Matter — 
Spirit — Mind, Purusha — Prakriti — Manas, are the three 
lines of development and in their synthesis comes com- 
pleteness. 

Each of these three lines works through formulas, or 
through set forms, which by graded steps put the man who 
employs the form in touch with the particular line of evo- 
lution represented by the Head of that line. 

What I seek to bring out here are 

the three clear lines whereby a man may mount to the 
Logos and find union with the self of the Solar System. 
He can mount by the line of the Manu, he can attain 
through the line of the Boddhisattva, or he can reach his 
goal via the path of the Mahachohan. But specially note, 
that on this planet the Lord of Love and Power, the first 
Kumara, is the focal point for all three departments. He 
is the One Initiator, and whether a man works on the line 
of power, or on the line of love, or on the line of intelli- 
gence, he must finally find his goal on the synthetic ray of 
love and wisdom. He must be love, and manifest it 
forth, but it may be love working through power, it may 



FORM IN MEDITATION 165 

be love in harmony, or love working through, knowledge, 
through ceremonial or devotion, or it may be just pure 
love and wisdom, blending all the others. Love was the 
source, love is the goal, and love the method of attain- 
ment. 

August 14th, 1920. 

The three lines of approach. 

As you will note (in continuation of that which we 
studied yesterday) there are three direct lines of contact 
between the higher and the lower, all finding their focal 
point through the same Initiator, and all, at the same 
time, quite distinct in their method of approach. If this 
is borne in mind it will be apparent that each provides for 
the man (whose egoic note is one of the three, or a depart- 
ment of the third) the line of least resistance and the path 
whereby he may most easily approach the Ultimate. It 
is fundamentally a matter dealing with various states of 
consciousness, and here it is that the Great Ones so power- 
fully assist the student. Through meditation, adjusted to 
the desired line; the student can control step by step, the 
various intermediate states that lie between him and his 
goal. He rises by means of various focal points of force. 
These focal points may be his Higher Self, they may be 

his Master, they may be an ideal But they are only 

steps upon the ladder whereby expansions of consciousness 
are obtained, and the man is enabled to extend the peri- 
phery of his consciousness until he gradually embraces all, 
and merges at last with the Monad, and later with the 
All- Self, the Logos Himself. 

For the sake of clarity and in order to satisfy the 
craving of the concrete mind for differentiation these three 
departments are pictured as distinct and separated the 



166 FORM IN MEDITATION 

one from the other, though having their points of contact. 
In reality — apart from the illusion that mind always sets 
up — the three are one, and the seven are but blended parts 
of one synthetic whole. They all interlace and inter- 
mingle. All the three departments are but necessary parts 
of one organisation over which the Lord of the World 
rules. They are but the executive offices in which the busi- 
ness of our planet is handled, and each office is dependent 
upon the other offices, and all work in the closest collabor- 
ation. The man who finds himself on one line has to re- 
member that in time and before perfection is achieved he 
must realise the synthesis of the whole. He must grasp it 
as a fact past all questioning and not just as a mental 
concept, and in his meditation there will eventually come 
a point when this realisation of the essential unity will be 
his and he will know himself as a fragment of a vaster 
whole. 

In these three departments the method of approach to 
the Head of the Department is meditation, and the means 
whereby the student puts himself en rapport with the 
essential LIFE of that department (it is all a matter of 
terms), differs. The life within the form manifests — as a 
result of meditation — in three different ways. The results 
of meditation as demonstrated in terms of character, if I 
may so express it, are really the same aspects of manifesta- 
tion under different terms or conditions. Let me tabulate 
them for you : — 
Line of the Manu 

Force, Strength, Power to rule. 
Line of the Boddhisattva 

Magnetism, Attraction, Healing. 
Line of the Mahachohan 

Electricity, Synthesis, Organization. 
I seek here to point out that the effect in the life of the 



FORM IN MEDITATION 167 

student of meditation on one of these three lines will be 
as enumerated above, though all of course coloured and 
modified by his personality ray, and by the point attained 
in evolution. If you study the three words applied to the 
three lines you will find it very illuminating. (I seek not 
to enlarge the mental body but to train the intuition.) 
These words demonstrate the law as working through the 
three groups, and the working out into active expression in 
the three worlds of the due following of the desired line. 
Each line has its specific forms whereby those results are 
achieved, and the time is coming when the rudiments of 
these forms ( the first fundamental formulas ) will be given 
to students deemed ready and who have done the necessary 
preliminary work. 
1. The line of the Manu. 

We might here somewhat indicate the approximate 
method, and lay down certain rules which will serve to 
elucidate when the time comes. 

This first line is specially the line of government, of 
racial development, of working in and with the matter of 
all forms on all the planes of human evolution. It is, as 
I have said before, the line of occultism. It emphasises 
the hierarchical method, it embodies the divine autocracy, 
and it is the line whereby our solar Logos imposes His Will 
on men. It is closely linked to the Lords of Karma, and 
it is through the Manu's department that the Law of Cause 
and Effect is wielded. The four Lords of Karma work 
closely with the Manu, for They impose the Law, and He 
manipulates the forms of men, of continents, of races, and 
of nations so that that law may be duly worked out. 

The man therefore who attempts through meditation 
to contact these powers, to rise to union by these means, 
and to attain the consciousness of the Will aspect, works 
under set rules, rises from point to point under due forms, 



168 FOEM IN MEDITATION 

and broods ever on the Law and its workings. He seeks 
to understand, lie discriminates and studies ; he is occupied 
with the concrete and its place in the divine plan. He 
admits the fact of the indwelling life but concentrates 
primarily on its method and form of manifestation. The 
basic rules of expression and of government occupy his 
attention, and by studying the rules and laws, and by seek- 
ing to comprehend, he necessarily contacts the Ruler. 
From stage to stage he rises — from the ruler of the micro- 
cosm in the three worlds, to the group egoic and its focal 
point, a Master ; from the ruler of the group he rises to the 
Manu, the Ruler of the department wherein he has his 
place, thence to the Ruler of the World, later to the 
Planetary Logos, and thence to the Solar Logos. 
2. The line of the Boddhisattva. 

This is the line of religion and of philosophy, and of 
the development of the indwelling life. It deals with con- 
sciousness within the form more than with the form itself. 
It is the line of least resistance for the many. It embodies 
the wisdom aspect of the Logos, and is the line whereby 
His love is manifested in a predominant fashion. The 
solar system being in itself a direct expression of the 
Logos, and of His love aspect all in manifestation is based 
upon it — love in rule, love abounding, love in activity, — 
but in this second line the love manifestation is supreme, 
and will eventually absorb all the others. 

The man who meditates on this line seeks ever to enter 
into the consciousness of all that breathes, and by graded 
expansions of consciousness to arrive eventually at the All- 
Consciousness, and to enter into the life of the Supreme 
Being. Thus he enters into the life of all within the 
Logoic Consciousness. 

He broods not so much upon the Law as upon the 
life that is governed by that law. Through love he compre- 



FORM IN MEDITATION 169 

hends, and through love he blends himself first with his 
Ego, then with his Master, next with his group egoic and 
then with all groups, till finally he enters into the con r 
sciousness of the Deity Himself. 
3. The line of the Mahachohan. 

This is the line of mind or intelligence, of knowledge 
and of science. It is the line of abstract mind, and of 
archetypal ideas. The man broods not so much upon the 
Law, not so much upon the Life as upon the effects of 
both in manifestation, and upon the reason why. The 
man on this five-fold line ever asks why, and how, and 
whence, and seeks to synthesise, to comprehend and to 
make the archetypes and ideals facts in manifestation. He 
broods on the ideals as he senses them ; he aims at contact- 
ing the Universal Mind, at wresting its secrets from it, and 
giving them expression. It is the line of business organisa- 
tion, the line also in which the artists, musicians, scientists 
and the workers of the world have their place. The Spirits 
of Love and Activity pass much time in each of its five 
departments before passing on to the lines of love and of 
power. 

In meditation the man takes some ideal, some part of 
the divine plan, some phase of beauty and of art, some 
scientific or racial problem, and by brooding over it and 
by the employment of lower mind, finds out all that can 
be known and sensed. Then, having done all that, he seeks 
to raise the consciousness still higher till he taps the source 
of illumination, and gains the light and information re- 
quired. He mounts likewise by entering into the con- 
sciousness of those greater than himself, not so much from 
the point of view of love (as in the second line) as from 
admiration and joy in their achievement, and gratitude for 
what they have given to the world, and devotion to the 
same idea that impels them to action. 



170 FORM IN MEDITATION 

Therefore you will see from even the most superficial 
study of the above three lines how apparent it is that all 
the sons of men are rising. Even the ones — so apt to be 
despised — who are the active workers of the world may, in 
their place and through their devotion to the ideals of 
work or science or even of business organisation, be just 
as far advanced as the more highly considered ones who 
demonstrate more patently the love aspect of the divine 
Self. Forget not, that activity is just as divine and just 
as fundamentally an expression of the All-Father as love 
in sacrifice, and even more so than what we now know as 
power, for the power aspect is as yet not comprehended by 
any of you, nor will be until a further manifestation. 

August 14th, 1920. 

Forms used in calling devas and elementals. 

In taking up the two points that you have enumerated' 
six and seven, we shall be able to deal with them as one, 
for the mantrams and forms used in contacting the devas, 
angels or builders, and in calling the elementals or Sub- 
human forms of existence, are practically the same, and 
should, in these letters be counted as such. 

As a preliminary step let us be quite clear wherein 
lies the distinction between these two groups. 

The elementals are, in their essential essence, sub- 
human. The fact that they can be contacted on the emo- 
tional plane is no guarantee that they are on the evolution- 
ary path. On the contrary, they are on the path of in- 
volution, on the downward arc. They are to be found on 
all planes, and the etheric elemental forms — such as the 
brownies, gnomes and pixies — are well known. They can 
be roughly divided into four groups : — 



FORM EST MEDITATION 171 

1. The elementals of earth. 

2. The elementals of water. 

3. The elementals of air. 

4. The elementals of fire. 

They are the essence of things, if you could but realise it. 
They are the elemental things of the solar system in their 
four grades as we know them in this fourth cycle on the 
fourth or earth planet. 

The devas are on the evolutionary path, on the upward 
ray. They are, as you know, the Builders of the system, 
working in graded and serried ranks. Devas are to be 
found of the same rank as the Planetary Logoi, and the 
Rulers of the five planes of human evolution hold rank 
equal to that of a Master of the seventh Initiation. 
Others are equal in development (along their own line) 
to a Master of the fifth Initiation, and they work con- 
sciously and willingly with the Masters of the Occult 
Hierarchy. They can be found on all the lesser grades 
down to the little building devas who work practically 
unconsciously in their groups building the many forms 
necessitated by the evolving life. 

Earlier — prior to my dictating these letters to you — 
you received one communication along the line of the 
mantric invocation of the elementals and the devas. The 
information given was correct, as far as it went, and you 
may if you wish incorporate it here. 

"Force in evolution and force in involution are two 
different things. That is a preliminary statement. 
In the one you have destruction, violence, blind ele- 
mentary powers at work. In involution it is the ele- 
mentals who do most of the work, working blindly 
along as controlled by the Builders. The work 
is constructive, cohesive, a gradual growing to- 



172 FORM IN MEDITATION 

gether, harmony out of discord, beauty out of chaos. 
The lower kingdoms of the devas work, guided by the 
great Building Devas, and all move upward in order- 
ed beauty from plane to plane, from system to system, 
universe to universe. Therefore in studying occult 
lore you need to remember two things: — 

a. You control elemental forces. 

b. You co-operate with the devas. 

In one you dominate, in the other case you endeavor 
to work with. You control through the activity aspect, 
by the definite doing of certain things, by the prepara- 
tion of certain ceremonies, for instance, through 
which certain forces can play. It is a replica on a 
tiny miniature scale of what the third Logos did in 
world making. Certain activities had certain results. 
Later on, revelations can be made as to the rites and 
ceremonies through which you can get into touch with 
the various elementals, and control them. The Cere- 
monial Ray — by coming into incarnation at this time, 
is making things much easier along this particular 
line. 

Fire elementals, water sprites, and the lower ele- 
mentals can all be harnessed by rites. The rites are 
of three kinds: — 

1. Protective rites, which concern your own pro- 
tection. 

2. Rites of appeal, which call and reveal the ele- 
mentals. 

3. Rites that control and direct them when sum- 
moned. 

In working with the devas you use the wisdom or love 
aspect, the second aspect of the Logos, the building 
aspect. Through love and longing you reach them 



FORM IN MEDITATION 173 

and your first step (as you are on the path of evolu- 
tion as they are) is to get into touch with them, for 
together you must work in the future for the guidance 
of the elemental forces and the helping of humanity. 
It is not safe for human beings, poor foolish things, 
to tamper with the forces of involution until they 
themselves are linked with the devas through purity 
of character and nobility of soul. 

Through rites and ceremonies you can sense the 
devas and reach them, but not in the same manner nor 
for the same reason that you can the elementals. 
The devas attend ceremonies freely and are not sum- 
moned ; they come, as you do, to tap the power. When 
your vibrations are pure enough the ceremonies serve 
as a common meeting-ground. 

I want to say in closing that when you 

have learned to use the activity aspect in work with 
the involutionary powers, and the wisdom aspect in 
co-operating with the devas, you will then unitedly 
pass on to use the first aspect, that of will or power." 
Before proceeding further I seek to sound a note of 
warning as to the danger that lies in the calling and the 
contacting of these groups of builders, and more especially 
in the contacting of the elemental forces. Why especially 
the latter? Because these forces at all times find a response 
in one of the three lower bodies of men, these bodies (re- 
garded as separated sheaths) being composed of these 
involutionary lives. Therefore he who unwittingly lays 
himself open to direct contact with any elemental, runs a 
risk, and may bittejf&y rue the day. But, as a man ap- 
proaches adept ship and has achieved mastery over himself, 
and can consequently be trusted with the mastery of other 
forms of life, certain powers will be his. These powers — 
based as they are on law — will put into his hands the rule 



174 FOKM IN MEDITATION 

over lesser lives, and will teach him that co-operation with 
the deva hosts which will be so essential towards the latter 
end of evolution. 
Mantrams of power. 

The mantrams that hold the secret of the power are, 
as you know and have been told above, of different kinds, 
and are primarily four: 

a. Of prime importance are the protective man- 
trams. 

b. The mantrams that call the elementals and lesser 
devas, and bring them into the magnetic radius 
of the one who calls. 

c. The mantrams that impose upon the elementals 
and lesser devas the will of the one who calls. 

d. Mantrams that break the charm, if I may put it 
so, and place the elementals and devas again out- 
side the magnetic radius of the caller. 

These four groups of mantrams refer especially to the 
calling and contacting of the lesser grades and are not 
much used, except in rare cases by initiates and adepts, 
who, as a general rule, work through the instrumentality 
of the great guiding devas and builders. The dark 
Brotherhood work with the forces of involution and bend 
to their will the unwitting lesser forms of life. The true 
procedure — as followed by the Brotherhood of Light — is to 
control these involutionary groups and low grade devas 
through their own superior ranks, the cohorts of the build- 
ing devas with their Deva Lords. 

This brings me to another group of mantrams used 
iD connection with the devas themselves. 

a. Rhythmic mantrams, that put the one who uses 
them in contact with the deva group he seeks. These man- 
trams are, of course, forms of Ray Mantrams, for they call 



FOKM IN MEDITATION 175 

the devas on some one ray. These mantrams again will 
vary if the man himself is on the same ray as the gronp he 
calls. You ask why protective mantrams are not used 
first as in the case of calling elementals. Principally for 
the following reason. The mantrams calling elementals are 
more easily found and used than those calling the devas. 
History is full of instances of where this has been done, 
and all over the world (even at this time) are people who 
hold the secret that will put them in touch with elementals 
of one kind or another. Everyone in Atlantean days knew 
how to do this, and among savage peoples and by some 
individuals in civilised countries the art is still known 
and practised. Secondly, the average man, even if he 
knows the mantram, will probably fail in calling a deva, 
for it involves something more than just chanting the 
words and sounds. This something is one of the secrets 
of initiation. When a man is an initiate or an adept he 
needs not the protective rites, for it is a law in the occult 
world that only those of pure life and unselfish motive 
can successfully reach the deva evolution, whereas in con- 
nection with the elementary lives it works the other way. 

b. Mantrams that permit of intercourse with the 
devas once they have been called. Speech, as we know it, 
is not understood by the devas, but impulses, forces, vibra- 
tions can be set up by the use of specific forms that lead 
to the desired result and obviate the need of speech. These 
forms open the avenues of mutual comprehension. 

c. Mantrams that influence groups, and others that 
influence specific devas. I would like to point out here 
that as a rule devas are handled in groups and not as in- 
dividuals until you contact devas of a very high order. 

d. Mantrams that directly call the attention of one 
of the deva lords of a sub-plane, or the mighty Deva Lord 



176 FOEM IN MEDITATION 

of a plane. They are known to very few and are only used 
by those who have taken high initiation. 

August 17th, 1920. 
The comprehension of force. 

The tension today is great, and the force pour- 
ing in on all the different centres is apt — unless duly regu- 
lated — to cause a feeling of fatigue, of tension, of excite- 
ment and of restlessness. The secret of regulation which 
lies in non-resistance is known to very few, and con- 
sequently the intensity of emotion, the violent re-actions, 
and present widespread era of crime are the results, very 
largely, of force misused and misapplied. This can be seen 
demonstrating in all ranks of life, and only he who knows 
the secret of being naught but a channel, and who abides 
still within the secret place, can pass through the pres- 
ent crisis without undue shattering and pain. Stimulation 
— such as is at present abroad — leads to pain and con- 
sequent re-action and must be guarded against with as 
much care as its opposite, loss of vitality — guarded 
against, not in the sense of shutting oneself off from stimu- 
lating force but of receiving that force, passing it through 
one's being, and only absorbing as much of it as one can 
carry. The residue will then pass out from one as a heal- 
ing agency on its return to the general reservoir. The 
true and occult significance of force in nature, of the elec- 
trical currents of the universe, and of the latent heat 
stored in all forms is little understood as yet by your 
exoteric scientists, or your would-be occult students. 

approached the study of occultism from this angle, 

and therefore, he attained a profound knowledge of law. 

I have touched on this matter as it lies back of all 
instruction along occult lines. If you can grasp some- 
what its meaning, and understand how the law is but the 



FOEM IN MEDITATION 177 

adaptation of the form to some one or other of these great 
streams of force, yon will illuminate yonr whole life and 
be carried on those streams of force, those magnetic cur- 
rents, that vital fluid, those electrical rays (no matter 
what the terms used) right to the heart of the unknown. 

This same idea of force and of the magnetic currents 
of the solar system governs all I have imparted on medita- 
tion in all its branches — specific, individual and collective, 
based on form or formless ; it is the medium through which 
the mantrams work, from those that touch the elemental 
lives up to the great Words chanted in rhythm that call the 
Lord of a Kay, the Deva of a plane, or the Lord of a Solar 
System Himself. The sounding of these Words, the ascent 
through graded forms to some specific point, and the chant- 
ing of mantrams but put the one who is thus working into 
the line of some one stream of force. It is the finding of 
the line of least resistance whereby to reach some goal, to 
communicate with some individual Intelligence, to control 
some involuntionary life, and to contact and co-operate 
with some group of devas. The above digression may 
serve somewhat to sum up what I have lately imparted 
anent forms, mantric or otherwise, as used by the student 
of occult meditation. 

As may be safely imagined the calling of either the 
devas or elementals can only be safely undertaken by one 
who has the power to utilise them wisely when called, 
hence the mantrams we have enumerated above are only 
put into the hands of those who are on the side of the con- 
structive forces of the system, or who can constructively 
control the destructive elements, bending them into line 
with the disintegrating forces that are themselves part of 
the great constructive scheme. Should anyone — not thus 
capable — be able to contact the devas, and, through the 
use of mantrams, gather them to him he would find that 



178 FORM IN MEDITATION 

the force they carry would descend on him as a destruc- 
tive one, and serious consequences might result in one or 
other of his bodies. 

Think this out, therefore, remembering that those 
dangers would lie along the line of over-stimulation, of 
sudden shattering, and of disintegration through fire or 
heat. Should he gather involuntionary lives around him 
the dangers would be different or rather would demon- 
strate in the opposite effect, — such as loss of vitality due to 
vampirism, a sucking out of the forces of one or another 
of his bodies, an abnormal building in of material into 
some one body (due to the action of such involutionary 
lives as the physical or desire elementals) and death 
through water, earth or fire, understood in an occult 
sense. 

I have dealt here with the risks run by anyone who 
calls within his magnetic radius either of these two groups, 
without possessing the necessary knowledge to protect, to 
control and to use. Why have I dealt with this subject at 
all? Because these magic forms exist, and will be used 
and known when the student is ready, and the work re- 
quires it. Some day the lesser forms will be gradually 
given out to those who have prepared themselves, and who 
unselfishly work for the helping of the race. As I said 
earlier, they were known in Atlantean days. They led to 
dire results at that time, for they were used by those of 
unclean life, for selfish ends and evil purpose. They called 
the elemental hosts to perpetuate their vengeance on their 
enemies; they called the lesser devas, and utilised their 
powers to further their ambitions; they sought not to co- 
operate with the law, but to wield that law for physical 
plane schemes which originated in their desires. The ruling 
Hierarchy deemed the danger too great, for the evolution 
of men and devas was threatened, so They withdrew gradu- 



FORM IN MEDITATION 179 

ally from the human consciousness the knowledge of the 
formulas and Words until such a time as the reason was 
developed somewhat, and the spiritual mind showed signs 
of awakening. In this way the two great evolutions, and 
the latent third evolution (composed of involuntary lives) 
were separated and shut off from each other. Temporarily 
the whole scale of vibration was slowed down, for the 
original purpose had been a parallel development. The 
secret of this apparent setting back of the plans of the 
Logos lies hid in the remnants of active cosmic Evil that 
had found their way into manifestation, — a remnant of 
the first or activity solar system, and the basis of this, the 
love system. Evil is but the sediment of unfinished karma 
and has its root in ignorance. 

This separation on a three-fold scale of the evolving 
and the involving lives has continued up to date. With 
the coming in of this seventh Ray of Ceremonial Magic, a 
tentative approximation of the two evolving groups is to 
be somewhat permitted, though not as yet with the involv- 
ing group. Remember this statement. The deva and 
human evolution will, during the next five hundred years 
become somewhat more conscious of each other, and be 
able therefore more freely to co-operate. With this grow- 
ing consciousness will be found a seeking after methods 
of communication. When the need of communication for 
constructive ends is sincerely felt, then, under the judici- 
ous guidance of the Masters, will certain of the old man- 
trams be permitted circulation. Their action, interaction 
and reaction will be closely studied and watched. It is 
hoped that the benefit to both groups will be mutual. The 
human evolution should give strength to the deva, and the 
deva, joy to the human. Man should communicate to the 
devas the objective point of view, while they in turn will 
pour in on him their healing magnetism. They are the 



180 FORM IN MEDITATION 

custodians of prana, magnetism and vitality, just as man 
is the custodian of the fifth principle, or manas. I have 
given several hints here and more is not possible. 

Tomorrow we will take up perhaps the most vitally 
interesting division on forms connected with fire. Today 
the matter imparted suffices. 

August 19th, 1920. 
Mantric forms connected with pre. 

Perhaps it would be of value if I touched somewhat 
upon the part fire plays in evolution and on the various 
departments connected with fire that may be found with- 
in our solar system. I especially emphasise it because in 
meditation the domain of fire is entered, and because of its 
prime importance. The departments in which fire plays 
its part are five. Let us therefore enumerate them. I will 
deal first with fire in the Macrocosm, and later shoiv its 
Microcosmic correspondence. 

1 — The vital fire that animates the objective solar sys- 
tem. For instance, as evidenced in the internal 
economy of our planet, and the central ball of fire, 
the sun. 
2 — That mysterious something called by H.P.B. 
Fohat, of which some of the manifestations are 
electricity, certain forms of light, and the mag- 
netic fluid wherever encountered. 
3 — The fire of the mental plane. 
4 — The fire elementals who, in their essence, are fire 

itself. 
5 — The vital spark we call the "divine flame", latent 
in each human being, which distinguishes our 
solar Logos from all other Logoi, and which is the 
sum of all His characteristics. "Our God is a con- 
suming Fire." 



FOEM IN MEDITATION 181 

All these differentiations of fire are practically differ- 
entiations of one and the same thing; they are basically 
the same though in manifestation they are diverse. They 
originated fundamentally from cosmic fire found on the 
cosmic mental levels. In the Microcosm you find this five- 
fold differentiation again, and it is in the recognition of 
this correspondence that illumination comes, and the pur- 
pose of meditation is achieved. 

1 — The vital fires that keep the internal economy of 
of the human being, — the microcosmic system — in 
full manifestation. At the cessation of that inner 
burning, death ensues, and the physical objective 
system passes into obscuration. So it is in the 
Macrocosm. Just as the sun is the centre for our 
system, so the heart is the focal point for the 
microcosmic heat; similarly, as the earth is vita- 
lised by the same heat and is, for our chain, the 
point of densest matter, and of greatest physical 
heat, so the lower generative organs are the sec- 
ondary centre in the majority of cases for the in- 
ternal fire. The correspondence is accurate, mys- 
terious and interesting. 
2 — The correspondence in the Microcosm to Fohat is 
found in the pranic currents that, through the 
etheric body, keep the dense physical vitalised and 
magnetised. The resources of the pranic fluid are 
illimitable and little understood, and in their prop- 
er comprehension lies the secret of perfect health. 
We will touch upon this later. 
3 — The correspondence to the fire of the mental plane 
is easily demonstrable. For the work of the Lords 
of Flame in implanting the spark of mind has so 
developed and grown, that now the fire of intellect 
is to be seen burning in all civilised peoples. All 



182 FORM IN MEDITATION 

energies are turned to the feeding of that spark 
and the turning of it to the greatest profit. 

4 — The fire elementals are known in some measure in 
the microcosm by the thought-forms conjured up 
and vitalised by the man whose thought power 
suffices to do so. These thought forms, built by the 
man who can think strongly, are vitalised by his 
life or capacity to heat, and last as long as he has 
the power so to animate them. This is not for long 
at this time as the real power of thought is little 
comprehended. In the fifth great cycle, which for 
this chain will see the culmination of the fifth 
principle of mind, this correspondence will be 
more understood. At present the connection is 
necessarily obscure. 

5 — The vital spark latent in each human being which 
marks him out as of the same nature as the Solar 
Logos. 

Here you have fire as it may be seen in the greater 
and the lesser systems. I would here sum up for you the 
purpose of fire in the microcosm, and what must be aimed 
at. You have the three fires : — 

1 — The vital divine spark. 

2 — The spark of mind. 

3 — Kundalini, the two-fold blending of the internal 
heat and of the pranic current. The home of this 
force is the centre at the base of the spine and the 
spleen as a feeder of that heat. 

When these three fires — that of the quarternary, of 
the triad and of the fifth principle — meet and blend in 
proper geometrical manner, each centre is adequately 
vitalised, every power is sufficiently expressing itself, all 



FOKM IN MEDITATION 183 

impurity and dross is burnt away, and the goal is reached. 
The spark has become a flame, and the flame is part of the 
great egoic blaze which animates all of the objective uni- 
verse. 

Therefore, we are brought logically to the position 
that there will be for these three types of mantrams an- 
other mantram which will bring about their union and 
merging. You have in fact : — 

Mantrams that affect kundalini, and arouse it in 
the right manner. By the power of the vibration 
they send it circulating through the centres ac- 
cording to their natural, geometrical progression. 
A secondary branch of these mantrams deals with 
the spleen, and the control of the pranic fluids for 
the purposes of health, for vitalisation, and for 
affecting the fire at the base of the spine. 
Mantrams that work on the matter of the mental 
plane, on one or other of its two main divisions, — 
abstract and concrete, — and which work there in 
a twofold manner, producing an increased capa- 
city to think, wield or manipulate mental matter, 
and, acting as a stimulant to the causal body, fit 
it more rapidly as a vehicle of consciousness, 
and prepare it for the final disintegration which 
is effected by fire. 

Mantrams that evoke the God within, and work 
specifically on the Ego. From thence they set up a 
strong vibration within the higher Triad, and so 
cause a downflow of the monadic force into the 
causal body. All these mantrams can be used 
separately, and achieve their own result. 
There are seven great mantrams, one for each ray, 
that (when used by the Master or by a member of 
the Hierarchy) combine all the three effects. They 



184 FORM IN MEDITATION 

arouse kundalini, they work on the causal vehicle 
on the mental plane, and they set up a vibration 
in the Triad and thus effect an at-one-ment of the 
lower, the higher and the fifth principle. This is 
a reflection of what occurred at the coming of the 
Lords of Flame. It leads to complete unification, 
and marks the man out henceforth as one in whom 
love demonstrates in action by the aid of illumin- 
ated mind. 
These are the four most important mantrams as re- 
gards individual evolution and development, and are well- 
known to all those who train pupils for initiation. But by 
themselves, even if discovered by the unready, they could 
accomplish little, for their use must be accompanied by 
the power that comes from the application of the Rod of 
Initiation. This Rod, through its surmounting diamond, 
focuses the three fires in the same way that a burning- 
glass re-acts to the sun, and causes a conflagration. 

I have here given you a lot of information in very 
few words. The matter is much condensed. It has a 
special significance for the man who nears the Path of 
Initiation. Ponder carefully on this which is imparted, 
for, by brooding upon it in the silence of the heart, light 
may come, and the inner fire glow with greater heat. 

Other mantrams connected with fire can be further 
enumerated. There are two groups that are contacted by 
the use of certain rhythmic sounds. 

The fire elementals and their various hosts in the 
bowels of the earth, on the surface of the earth, 
and in the air above the earth. 
The devas of the mental plane, who are essentially 

the devas of fire. 
With the mantrams affecting the elementals of fire 
there is nought to be said or imparted. They are, in many 



FORM IN MEDITATION 185 

ways, the most dangerous and the most powerful of the 
elementals who attend to the earth economy. For one 
thing, they far outnumber all the other elementals, and 
are found on every plane from the highest to the lowest. 
The elementals of water or earth are found only in cer- 
tain localities or spheres in the solar system, whilst the 
next most numerous elementals are those of air. 

Mantrams calling them, controlling and dismissing 
them were in common use among the Atlanteans. The 
dangers aroused, and the menace stalking the land through 
the indiscriminate use of elementals, so disturbed the ac- 
curate workings of the Logoic plans, and so displeased the 
Guides of the race that the knowledge was withdrawn. 
The Atlantean root race passed away through disasters by 
water, by floods, by submergings; when you remember 
that water is the natural enemy of fire, and that the two 
groups of elementals have no point of at-one-ment at this 
stage, you may be able to understand an interesting point 
about the Atlantean cataclysms. 

Mantrams calling the fire devas are equally well 
guarded, not only because of the dangers involved but 
because of the obstructions in time that are caused when 
these devas are heedlessly called and held by mantric 
charm from pursuing their necessary vocations. Under 
these two groups of mantric forms will be found many 
lesser groups which work specifically with different bands 
of elementals and devas. 

We have here enumerated six groups of mantrams 
connected with fire. There are still a few more which I 
might briefly enumerate. 

Purificatory mantrams that awaken a fire that 
purifies, and burns on one- of^the three lower 
planes. This is effected through the activity of 

V 



186 FORM IN MEDITATION 

elementals, controlled by fire devas, and under the 
direct guidance of an initiate or disciple for some 
specific purificatory end. The end may be to 
cleanse some one of the bodies or to purify a lo- 
cality, a house or a temple. 
Mantrams that call down fire for the magnetisa- 
tion of talismans, of stones and of sacred spots. 
Mantrams that bring about healing through the 

occult use of flame. 
The mantrams used : — 

a — By the Manu, in manipulating that which is 
necessary in the moving of continents, and 
the submerging of lands, 
b — By the Boddhisattva, in stimulating the in- 
ner flame in each human being, 
c — By the Mahachohan, in His work with the 
intelligence, or the fifth principle. 

All these mantric forms and many others exist 

The first step towards the attainment of these mantrams 
is the acquirement of the faculty of occult meditation, for 
it is not the sounding of the words alone that brings about 
the desired end but the mental concentration that 
visualises the results to be attained. This must be ac- 
companied by the will that causes those results to be dom- 
inated by the one who chants the sounds. These mantric 
forms are dangerous and useless apart from the concen- 
trated mental equilibrium of the man, and his power to 
control and to vitalise. 

August 21, 1920. 

We come now to the last division of our sixth letter. 
The use of Form collectively. 

I propose to take this up under three heads which for 
purposes of clarity we will call : — 



FOEM IN MEDITATION 187 

1 — The use of sound collectively in a meditation form. 

2 — The use of rhythm collectively in meditation. 

3 — Special occasions on which these forms are used. 

We have rather exhaustively considered in this 

series of letters individual meditation and have taken up 
the subject from many and varied angles. In all our 
handling of the matter only enough has been communi- 
cated to arouse the interest of the student and to incite 
him to greater effort, closer study, and deeper investiga- 
tion. Only that which is understood and grasped as a fact 
in experience by the inner consciousness avails aught in the 
hard path of occult development. Theories and mental 
concepts avail not. They but increase responsibility. 
Only when these theories are put to the test, and are con- 
sequently knotvn to be facts in nature, and only when men- 
tal concepts are brought down and demonstrated on the 
physical plane in practical experience, can the student be 
in a position to point the way to other searchers, and to 
hold out a helping hand to those following behind. To 
say: "I hear" may prove helpful and encouraging; to add 
to that the words "I believe" may carry added assurance, 
but to sound forth a trumpet note and say "I know" is the 
thing needed in this one of the darkest hours of the Kali 
Yuga. The knowers are as yet few. Yet to know is fully 
possible and is subject only to the diligence, the sincerity, 
and the capacity of the pupil on the path to stand firm in 
suffering. 

Now having some dim idea of the results to be 
achieved, and the methods to be employed in individual 
meditation, and having enlarged a little on the use of 
forms by individuals we can now take up the considera- 
tion of the matter from the collective standpoint. 

Some of the most important things to note about the 
collective use of forms are that it has a universal vogue, is 



188 FORM IN MEDITATION 

very effective, and can also be very dangerous. The col- 
lective worshipping of the Deity and the performance of 
religious rites in unison is so much a part of the public 
life of all peoples that its raison d'etre, and the results 
achieved, are apt to be overlooked. Every religion — 
Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Mohammedan, down to the 
distorted fetish worship of the most degraded race — has 
emphasised the value and efficiency of a united attempt 
to contact the Divine. Results are inevitably achieved, 
ranging all the way from the calm and peaceful feeling 
that rests upon the participant in the Christian mysteries, 
to the frenzy and gyrations of the wildest dervish or the 
most benighted Zulu. The difference lies in the ability of 
the worshipper to assimilate force, and in his capacity to 
hold and carry it. These points are decided by his place 
on the ladder of evolution, and by the emotional and men- 
tal control of which he may be possessed. 

The first postulate to remember in considering the 
collective use of form in meditation is that those forms, in 
employing sound and rhythm, should open up a funnel of 
communication between those taking part in them and the 
Intelligences or Powers they are seeking to approach. By 
the means of this funnel which penetrates from the physi- 
cal to the emotional, or still higher to one or other of the 
mental levels, the Intelligences or Powers are enabled to 
pour forth illuminating light or power of some kind or 
other into those who thus approach Them. The funnel 
forms a channel whereby the contact can be made. The 
whole process is purely scientific and is based on vibration, 
and on a knowledge of dynamics. It is dependent upon 
the accurate formation, through occult knowledge, of a 
vacuum. The occult statement that "Nature abhors a 
vacuum" is entirely true. When through the correct in- 
toning of certain sounds, this vacuum or empty funnel be- 



FORM IN MEDITATION 189 

tween the higher and the lower is formed, force or power 
or some manifestation of fohatic energy ponrs into the 
fnnnel under the inevitable working of the law, and, via 
that funnel, reaches its objective. 

It is on the misuse of this knowledge that much of 
what we call black art or evil magic is based. By means 
of invocation and forms the Dark Brothers (or those who 
tamper with what you ignorantly term the powers of evil) 
tap forces connected with dark intelligences in high places. 
Thus they set in motion happenings on the physical plane 
that have their origination in the dark mysterious caves 
of cosmic evil as found within our solar system. Equal- 
ly so, it is possible to tap the still greater forces of light 
and good and to make application of them on the side of 
evolution. 

The use of sound collectively in meditation forms. 

We will now take up the matter specifically from the 
standpoint of sound. In the study of the Sacred Word 
and its use we found that it had a triple effect, destructive, 
constructive and personal, — if I might so express it — or 
acting directly in a stimulating sense on the centres of the 
body. These three effects may be seen in the use of all 
sounds collectively and by a large body of persons. We 
might enumerate still further for the sake of clarity a 
fourth effect, that of the creation of a funnel. This fourth 
effect is but a synthesis of the others in actuality, for ad- 
justments in the matter of the three lower planes have to 
be made in this creation of a funnel of communication. 
Those adjustments result first of all in the destruction of 
obstructing matter, and then in the construction of a 
funnel for use. This is very definitely effected through the 
instrumentality of the centres. This latter point is of 
fundamental interest, and holds hid the secret of the most 



190 FOEM IN MEDITATION 

potent use of sound. That use is its projection in mental 
matter by means of one or other of the major centres. The 
effects achieved by a group of persons who have the power 
to work on mental levels, and to employ simultaneously 
one of the major centres (either entirely the head centre 
or one of the other major centres in connection with its 
corresponding head centre) can be unbelievably powerful. 
It is well for the race that as yet that power is not theirs. 
Only when united purity of motive and an unselfish adher- 
ence to the good of all can be found, will this power be 
permitted to return to the common knowledge of men. As 
yet it is practically impossible to get a sufficient number of 
people at the same stage of evolution, at the same point on 
the ladder, employing the same centre and responding to 
the same ray vibration to meet in unison, and sound to- 
gether the same note or mantram. They must also be 
animated by pure love, and work intelligently for the 
spiritual uplift of all. 

Part of the power of the Hierarchy is based on Their 
ability to do just this very thing. As evolution progresses, 
and the matter is more fully comprehended, meditation 
groups will change from their present status, which is that 
of bands of earnest aspirants seeking illumination, to 
bands of workers constructively and intelligently working 
together for certain ends. You have in the Christian Bible 
the remnant of a tale which has descended to us from 
Atlantean days. In those days the use of sound on physi- 
cal and emotional levels was understood and practised, be- 
ing utilised for selfish ends in most of the cases. You read 
that at the sound of trumpets, sounded a certain number 
of times after a rhythmical circuit of the walls of Jericho 
those walls collapsed. This was made possible by the oc- 
cult knowledge of the leaders of the people who — being 
versed in the science of sound and having studied its de- 



FOKM IN MEDITATION 191 

structive and creative effects, — knew just the moment to 
apply that science and effect the desired end. 

These sounds can be grouped under three heads : — 

The united sounding of the Sacred Word. 

This is one of the most usual methods, and the most 
direct way of forming a funnel for the transmission of 
power. If it is so effective in the case of the individual, 
as has been again and again demonstrated, surely its 
united use will be tremendously effective, and even danger- 
ously potent. It is the loss of the use of this word that 
has crippled and hindered the efficiency of all the present 
exoteric faiths, but this loss has been deliberately brought 
about owing to the dangers incident to the low point of 
evolution of the human hierarchy. When the use of this 
word is restored collectively, and when congregations of 
men can sound it correctly on the right note and in the 
right cadence or rhythm, then the downnow of force from 
above (the quality of that force depending on key and 
tone) will be such that the vivification of the microcosm 
will affect the surrounding country and environment. It 
will cause corresponding stimulation in all the kingdoms 
of nature, for the human kingdom forms a link between 
the higher and the lower, and, in conjunction with the deva 
kingdom, provides a meeting ground for the forces of life. 

These effects upon the different centres will be 
definitely felt on one or other plane in the three worlds. 
Let me illustrate, for clarity is desired. I must warn you 
however to bear in mind that no importance must be at- 
tached to the order specified here. The time is not ripe 
for the opening up of accurate information on this matter. 

We will presume that a congregation of people is de- 
sirous of linking up with that channel of force that works 
through the emotions, and so stimulates to greater aspira- 



192 FORM IN MEDITATION 

tion and love. In united silence they will stand until, at a 
given word from the leader, each unit in the group will 
deliberately withdraw his consciousness into the heart 
centre, and then from that heart centre (keeping the con- 
sciousness steadily there) he will drive forth the sound 
of the Sacred Word, pitched in the key to which the ma- 
jority of the group respond. This key will be ascertained 
by the clairvoyant group leader reviewing rapidly the 
auras gathered before him. This sound will create the 
necessary funnel, and the result will be an immense tempo- 
rary extension of the peripheries of the emotional bodies 
of the participants, and an intense vitalisation of their 
heart centres. By means of this the people will be enabled 
to reach heights and receive blessings otherwise not 
separately possible. You can for yourself think out other 
conditions. The use of the imagination in these matters 
is of a real importance and develops a connection between 
that faculty and its higher counterpart, the intuition. 
Students of meditation must learn to imagine more. 

The united sounding of certain mantrams which 
will be employed for specific purposes. Instances of such 
purposes are: — 

a. The purification of a city. 

b. The magnetisation of grounds that are to be em- 
ployed as healing centres. 

c. The clarification of the minds of the congregation 
in order that they may be able to receive the higher 
illumination. 

d. The healing of people gathered together for that 
purpose. 

e. The controlling of the forces of nature so that 
physical plane occurrences may be brought about. 

f. The initiating of people into the Lesser Mysteries. 



FORM IN MEDITATION 193 

In this paragraph, as you rightly think, lies material 
that enlarged would fill a volume. It is part of that white 
magic that again will be restored to the race and by means 
of which a glory and a civilisation will be attained that 
was hinted at in Atlantean days, and is one of the dreams 
of the visionaries of the race. 

Mantrams or words sounded forth collectively by 
which the deva, or angel kingdom, will be communicated 
with. These are a peculiar set of mantrams connected 
with the Mahachohan's department and I will take them 
up more specifically later 

August 22, 1920. 
The use of Rhythm Collectively in Meditation. 

Rhythm might be expressed as that cadenced move- 
ment which automatically sways those who employ it into 
line with certain of Nature's forces. It is that directed ac- 
tion, followed in unison by a body of people, which results 
in certain alignments and effects upon one or other of the 
bodies or on all. It has for its objects therefore : 

a. The swinging of a body, or a concourse of bodies, 
into the radius of action of a stream of force. 

b. It causes an adjustment of the matter of one of 
the various bodies or of all the bodies that go to 
the make-up of the personnel of a group. 

c. It blends — under certain geometrical balances 
and arrangements — the auras of the differentiated 
units in a group, and causes these auras to form 
one united group aura, thereby permitting of the 
rhythmic flow of force in certain specified direc- 
tions, for certain specified ends. 

This has been well understood right down the ages, even 



194 FORM IN MEDITATION 

though the methods, procedure and results have not been 
scientifically comprehended, or tabulated except by var- 
ious occult and esoteric bodies. In the old, so-called pagan 
rites the value of rhythm was well understood and even 
David, the psalmist of Israel, danced before the Lord. The 
swaying of the body to a certain tempus, and the swinging 
of the framework of the physical vehicle in various direc- 
tions, subject at times to the musical sound of instruments, 
has a peculiar and definite effect upon the matter of the 
two subtler vehicles. By this rhythmic movement : 

1. The force that is tapped in this manner is directed 
(according to the rhythm) to some one or other centre in 
the body. 

2. . The matter of the emotional and mental bodies is 
entirely re-adjusted and re-blended, resulting in certain 
effects having probably a physical manifestation. 

3. The alignment of the vehicles is affected, and may 
be distorted or misplaced, or they may be correctly aligned 
and put in touch with the causal. 

This is one of the main objects of the true rhythmic 
movement, distortions of which come down to us through 
the centuries, and have their apotheosis in the low type of 
modern dance. In the modern dance is found the corrupt est 
manifestation of rhythmic movement, and the main effect 
of the rhythm is the direction of the force tapped by its 
means to the emotional vehicle, and to the lowest type of 
matter in that vehicle. This results on the physical plane 
in a most undesirable stimulation of the sex organs. In 
the true use of rhythmic movement the effect is to align the 
three lower vehicles with the causal vehicle, and this lining 
up — when coupled with intensest aspiration and ardent 
desire — results in a downflow of force from above. This 
causes a vivification of the three major centres and a defin- 
ite illumination. 



FOKM IN MEDITATION 195 

When an entire concourse of people is thus animated 
by a single high desire, when their auras blend and form 
one united channel for the downflow, the effect is tremend- 
ously intensified and can be world-wide in its radius. You 
have an instance of this in the wonderful Wesak festival, 
kept so universally in India to this day, when the Hier- 
archy forms itself into a channel for the transmission 
of power and blessing from the levels on which the Buddha 
may be found. He acts as a focal point for that power, 
and — passing it through His Aura — pours it out over man- 
kind by means of the channel provided by the assembled 
Lords, Masters, graded initiates and disciples. This chan- 
nel is formed by the use of sound and rhythm simultane- 
ously employed. By the chanting of a certain mantram, 
by means of the slow, measured movements that accom- 
pany that chanting, the funnel is formed that reaches up- 
wards to the desired locality. The geometrical figures 
formed in the matter of the plane higher than the physical 
(which are the result of the geometrical movement of the 
concourse gathered in that Himalayan centre) form them- 
selves into Avonderful avenues of approach to the centre of 
blessing for the inhabitants, deva or otherwise, from any 
particular plane. For those who can clairvoyantly view 
the scene, the beauty of the geometrical forms is unbeliev- 
able, and that beauty is enhanced by the radiant auras of 
the Great Ones Who are gathered there. 

In time to come the value of the combination of music, 
chanting, and rhythmic movement will be comprehended, 
and it will be utilized for the achieving of certain results. 
Groups of people will gather together to study the creative 
effects, or the purificatory efficacy of ordered sound joined 
to movement and unity ; the constructive effect on the three 
bodies will be clairvoyantly studied ; the eliminative effect 
on the matter of those bodies will be scientifically tabu- 



196 FORM IN MEDITATION 

lated and all knowledge gained will be definitely applied to 
the improvement of those bodies. The quality of the force 
tapped, and its exhilarating, vivifying and stimulating 
effects will be closely watched. The centres will be studied 
in their relation to the streams of force contacted, and 
their culture and the intensification of the rotary move- 
ment will be definitely undertaken. 

Another angle of the whole matter resolves itself into 
work in the world, and though dependent on the status 
and personnel of the group, it is not primarily for group 
purposes. Groups will apply themselves to the work of 
contacting certain types of Logoic force, of passing it 
through the group funnel, and of sending it out through 
the world for certain constructive ends. This work is 
closely allied to that undertaken by the Mrmanakayas or 
Distributers of Force, and will be largely under Their 
direction, for — when the right time comes — They will be 
able to use these groups as focal points for Their activities. 
Their work now has its focal point primarily on the mental 
plane and somewhat on the emotional. When the secret of 
causal alignment is better grasped, and when groups of 
people in physical incarnation can work in real co-opera- 
tion ( an impossibility at present, for the personality looms 
as yet too large) then the Mrmanakayas will be able to 
directly contact the physical plane, and so act with great 
force upon the evolutions found thereon. 

Healing groups will work as follows. The circle of 
workers, with the unit to be healed placed in their midst, 
will definitely apply themselves to the healing of that unit 
by the use of set mantrams, and by the following of certain 
movements they will cause the focal point of the down- 
pouring force to be the sick member in their midst. By 
the stimulating power of that force, by its re-building 
quality, or by its capacity to destroy and eliminate, what 



FOKM IN MEDITATION 197 

you call miracles will be matters of everyday occurence. 
The subject is too vast to be more than hinted at here. But 
as the race progresses and the secret of making the at-one- 
ment is more comprehended, when many people tread the 
Probationary Path, when the percentage of initiates is 
greater than it is now, and when large numbers of the 
human race are more directly aligned with egoic body, 
you will see the scientific application of the laws of sound 
and rhythm. 

At the same time you will see the misuse of those 
powers — a misuse that will herald in one of the final 
struggles between the Lords of Light and the Lords of 
Darkness. Great will be the cataclysm and terrific the dis- 
aster, but ever the Light shines in darkness, and He Who 
reigns above all, and Who holds all within the circumfer- 
ence of His Aura knows the hour of opportunity, and 
knows too how to utilize that which can protect. 
Special occasions on which these forms will be employed. 

The great event on the planet in direct relation to the 
human race is the Wesak festival. There is one still 
greater moment in the calendar when a funnel is created 
directly between the earth and the supreme Kuler himself, 
the Logos of our system. This is accomplished through the 
power of certain mantrams and the united efforts of the 
Hierarchy and the Deva Lords of the planes. These Deva 
Lords are aided by the deva evolution, and the Hierarchy 
by those of the human race who are ready. They focus 
through the Lords of the Rays then in manifestation as 
well as through the planetary Logos of this planet. The 
date of this event is not yet for exoteric communication. 

On all the three main lines of approach — that of the 
Manu, or Ruler, the Boddhisattva, or World Teacher, and 
the Mahachohan, or Lord of Civilisation— their own 
specific groups will be found, subject to certain mantrams 



198 FORM IN MEDITATION 

and words and moving under certain rhythmic laws. One 
hint only can I give here bnt I think you will find it inter- 
esting. The time is coming when those who work under 
the Manu, manipulating nations, directing their attention 
to government and politics, sitting in the assemblies of the 
people, giving out the laws and apportioning justice, will 
begin all their work with great rhythmic ceremonies. By 
means of their united rhythm and chanted words, they 
will seek to put themselves in touch with the consciousness 
of the Manu and with His great governing department, so 
bringing more clearly into practice the working out of His 
plans and the formulation of His intentions. Having 
aligned their bodies and made the necessary funnel, they 
will proceed with business after having placed in their 
midst as a focal point of illumination one or two men who 
will give their entire attention to finding out the intention 
of the Manu and His subordinates upon the matter in 
hand. 

So in the department of the Boddhisattva will a 
similar procedure be followed, for which the construction 
is already organised. The priest will be the focal point, 
and, after due ceremony and rhythm on the part of the 
united congregation, they will be the transmitters of 
information from on high. But here is a momentous 
point of interest: The priesthood will not in those days 
be a separated body of men. All will then be priests and a 
layman can hold that office when duly chosen at the be- 
ginning of the ceremony. The only qualification required 
will be the capacity to align with the higher, and to co- 
operate with all the other units in the concourse. 

In the department of the Mahachohan, the Lord of 
Civilisation and Culture and the head of the third line of 
evolution, you will see again similar action. No university 
or school will start its sessions without the ceremony of 



FORM IN MEDITATION 199 

alignment, the teacher this time being the focal line of 
information from the department controlling the activity 
of the mind. In this way the stimulation of the mental 
bodies of the students, and the strengthening of the chan- 
nel between higher and lower mind will be greatly aided. 
The intuition will also be developed and contacted. In the 
above statements I have by no means covered the ground. 
I have but indicated the broad outlines of what will some 
day be facts in physical plane demonstration. The thought 
conveys much matter for consideration and for speculation 
and is full of helpfulness for the wise student. Aught that 
enlarges his horizon and increases the range of his vision is 
to be welcomed, even though his apprehension of these 
facts may be at fault and his capacity to assimilate leaves 
much to be desired. 



LETTER VII 
THE USE OF COLOUR AND SOUND. 

1. Enumeration of the colours and some comments. 

2. Colours and the law of correspondences. 

3. Effects of colours. 

4. Application of colours and their future use. 



!00 



LETTER VII 
THE USE OF COLOUR AND SOUND. 

August 27th, 1920. 

There is no question that those who break the law 
perish by the law, whilst those who keep it live by it. The 
true study of occultism is the study of the why and how of 
phenomena. It is the finding out of the method whereby 
results are achieved, and it involves close analysis of 
events and circumstances in order to discover their govern- 
ing laws. I have been led to make these preliminary re- 
marks today because I saw with clarity the questions that 
are controlling your mind. These questions are of great 
value, if you continue to apply yourself to the search for 
the right answer. Certain definite laws govern the life of 
the disciple. They are the same laws that control all life. 
The difference consists in the partial realisation — on the 
part of the disciple — of the purpose of those laws, their 
raison d'etre, and their conscious judicious application to 
the circumstances met in daily living. By conformance to 
the law is the personal life transmuted. .Take for instance 
the La w of Subsistence. This law puts the disciple in the 
position of wisely utilising the universal storehouse. It is 
the manipulation of matter, and its adaptation to the in- 
teracting forces of supply and demand .... Blind faith is 
right for the mystic. It is one of the means whereby the 
Divine storehouse is entered, but to understand the method 
whereby that storehouse is kept replenished, and to com- 
prehend the means whereby the bounteous supply of the 
All Father is brought in contact with the children's need is 
better still. One of those maxims I can here give anent 

201 



202 COLOUR 

supply and demand. It is only as a skillful use is made of 
the supply for the needs of the worker and the toork (I 
choose*these words each one with deliberation) that that 
supply continues to pour in. The secret is : use, demand, 
take. Only as the door is unlocked by the law of demand 
is another and higher door unlocked permitting supply. 
The law of gravitation holds hid the secret. Think this 
out. 
Some remarks on colour. 

Now we must to work. The subject for our considera- 
tion this evening is of profound and complicated interest. 
This seventh letter of mine has to do with the use of colour 
and sound in meditation. 

We have, as you know, dealt a good deal with the sub- 
ject of sound in our earlier letters, both in studying the 
use of the Sacred Word, and in the study of forms and 
mantrams. It is a truism to say that sound is colour and 
colour is sound, yet so it is, and the topic I really seek to 
bring to your attention is not so much sound as sound, but 
the colour effects of sound. I seek to emphasise especially 
the colour aspect in this letter, begging you to remember 
always that all sounds express themselves in colour. 

When the Logos uttered the great cosmic Word for 
this solar system, three major streams of colour issued 
forth, breaking almost simultaneously into another four, 
so giving us the seven streams of colour by which manifest- 
ation becomes possible. These colours are : — 

1. Blue. 

2. Indigo. 

3. Green. 

4. Yellow. 

5. Orange. 

6. Bed. 

7. Violet. 



COLOUR 203 

Not unwittingly have I placed them in this order but 
the exact significance is left for you to discover. 

I want to emphasise a second thought : — These seven 
streams of colour were the product of Logoic meditation. 
The Logos meditated, brooded, conceived mentally, formed 
an ideal world, and built it up in thought matter. Then our 
objective universe flashed into being, radiant with the 
seven colours, with the deep blue or indigo for synthetic 
undertone. Therefore certain things can be posited about 
colour : — 

1. It has to do with objective meditation, therefore it 
has to do with form. 

2. It is the result of sound uttered as the culmination 
of meditation. 

3. In these seven colours, and their wise comprehen- 
sion, lies the capacity of man to do as does the 
Logos and build. 

4. Colours have certain effects on the different 
vehicles, and on the planes on which those vehicles 
function. When it is known by the occultist 
which colour is applicable to which plane, and 
which colour therefore is the basic hue for that 
plane, he has grasped the fundamental secret of 
microcosmic development, and can build his body 
of manifestation by means of the same laws that 
the Logos employed in building His objective 
solar system. This is the secret that ray medita- 
tion will eventually yield up to the wise student. 
These four points lay the foundation for all that 
follows. 

I would here seek to put your mind at rest on the point 
as to whether the colours enumerated by me conflict with 
those enumerated by H. P. B. You will not find they do, 



204 COLOUR 

but both of us use blinds, and both of us use the same 
blinds as those who have eyes can see. A blind is not a 
blind when recognised, and I offer not the key. One or 
two hints however I may give : — 

Complementary colours may be spoken of in oc- 
cult books in terms of each other. Red may be called 
green and orange may be called blue. The key to the ac- 
curate interpretation of the term employed lies in the 
point of attainment of the unit under discussion. If speak- 
ing of the Ego one term may be used ; if of the personality, 
another; whilst the Monad or higher auric sphere may be 
described synthetically or in terms of the monadic ray. 

The colours of higher or lower mind are at times 
spoken of in terms of the plane and not in terms of the ray 
involved. 

Blue-indigo, being cosmically related, and not 
simply analagous, may be used interchangeably for pur- 
poses of blinding. Let me illustrate: — 

The Lords of the Flame, in their work in connection 
with this planet, may be spoken of in terms of four 
colours : — 

a. Indigo, as They are in the line of the Boddhisattva 
in connection with the Love or Wisdom Ray. The 
Lord of the World is a direct reflection of the 
second Aspect. 

b. Blue, because of its alliance with indigo and its 
relationship to the auric egg; just as the Solar 
Logos is spoken of as the "Blue Logos" (literally 
indigo), so the colour of the perfected man, and 
of the auric envelope through which he manifests, 
will be predominantly blue. 

c. Orange, which is the complementary to blue and 
which has direct connection with man as an intel- 
ligence. He is the custodian of the fifth principle 



COLOUR 205 

of manas in its relation to the totality of the per- 
sonality, 
d. Yellow, being the complement of indigo, and also 
the colour of buddhi, and on the direct line of the 
second Aspect. 

I give the above illustration to demonstrate to you the 
great complexity involved by the use of blinds, yet also to 
show you that for those who have the seeing eye even the 
choice of these blinds is not arbitrary, but subject to rule 
and law. 

It is therefore obvious to you why it is so often em- 
phasised that in dealing with esoteric matters lower manas 
helps not. Only he who has the higher vision in process 
of development can hope to attain any measure of accurate 
discrimination. Just as the green of the activity of Nature 
forms the basis of the love aspect, or the indigo vibration 
of this love system, so will it be found upon the mental 
plane. More may not be said, but food for thought lies 
here. Orange also holds the secret for the Sons of Mind, 
and in the study of flame (which even exoterically 
blends all the colours) comes illumination. 

In studying this question of colour and sound in medi- 
tation how best shall we divide our vast subject? Let us 
consider it under the following heads : — 

1. Enumeration of the colours and certain comments 
thereon. 

2. Colours and the Law of Correspondences. 

3. The effects of colours: — 

a. On the bodies of the pupil. 

b. On groups and on group work. 

c. On the environment. 

4. The application of colour : — 

a. In meditation. 



206 COLOUR 

b. For healing in meditation. 

c. In constructive work. 
5. The future use of colour. 

Under these live heads we should be able to sum up 
all that has to be said at present. Perhaps little that I 
may say will be fundamentally new, for I give not aught 
which may not be found in that foundation book of H. P. 
B.'s But in a newer presentation, and in the aggregation of 
material under one head may come enlightenment, and a 
further wise adjustment of knowledge. We will take up 
these live divisions later. Tonight I will only add a few 
further points to those already given. 

Colours as manifested on the physical plane show 
at their crudest and harshest. Even the most exquisite of 
shades as seen by the physical eye is hard and harsh com- 
pared to those on the emotional plane, and as the finer 
matter of the other planes is contacted, the beauty, the 
softness and the exquisite quality of the different hues 
grow with each transition. When the ultimate and syn- 
thetic colour is reached the beauty transcends all concep- 
tion. 

Colours — such as we have now to do with in evolu- 
tion — are the colours of light. Certain colours, which are 
the left-overs from the previous solar system, have been 
seized upon as modes of expression by that mysterious 
something which we call "cosmic evil" (in our ignorance 
so we term it). They are involutionary colours, and are 
media for the force of the dark Brotherhood. With them 
the aspirant to the Path of Light has naught to do. They 
are such hues as brown, grey, the loathsome purple, and 
the lurid greens that are contacted in the dark places of 
the earth, on the emotional plane, and on the lower level of 
the mental plane. They are negations. Their tone is 
lower than the note of nature. They are the offspring of 



COLOUR 207 

night, esoterically understood. They are the basis of glam- 
our, of despair, and of corruption, and must be neutralised 
by the pupil of the Great Ones by the admission of the 
colours connected with light. 

6. The synthesis of all the colours, as aforesaid, is 
the synthetic ray of indigo. This underlies all and ab- 
sorbs all. But in the three worlds of human evolution the 
orange of flame irradiates all. This orange emanates from 
the fifth plane, underlies the fifth principle, and is the 
effect produced by the esoteric sounding of the occult 
words "Our God is a consuming Fire." These words apply 
to the manasic principle, that fire of intelligence or reason 
which the Lords of the Flame imparted, and which stimu- 
lates and guides the life of the active personality. It is 
that light of reason which guides a man through the Hall 
of Learning on into the Hall of Wisdom. In the latter 
hall its limitations are discovered, and that structure 
which knowledge has built (the causal body or the Temple 
of Solomon) is itself destroyed by the consuming fire. 
This fire consumes the gorgeous prison house which man 
has erected through many incarnations, and lets loose the 
inner light divine. Then the two fires merge, mount up- 
wards and are lost in the Triadal Light. 

Certain colours belong more exclusively to the 
human Hierarchy, others to the deva. In their ultimate 
blending and intermingling comes eventual perfection. . . . 

August 29th, 1920. 
1. Enumeration of the Colours. 

Tonight we must continue our study on colour and 
take up our first point. 

In doing this I will make certain comments and give 
you certain data, impressing upon you nevertheless again 



208 COLOUR 

the fact that I use the exoteric terms, and that the discus- 
sion is but for suggestive purposes. The very use of the 
word "Colour" shews the intention, for, as you know, the 
definition of the word conveys the idea of concealment. 
Colour is therefore "that which does conceal." It is simp- 
ly the objective media by means of which the inner force 
transmits itself ; it is the reflection upon matter of the type 
of influence that is emanating from the Logos, and which 
has penetrated to the densest part of His solar system. 
We recognise it as colour. The adept knows it as differ- 
entiated force, and the initiate of the higher degrees knows 
it as ultimate light, undifferentiated and undivided. 

We enumerated the colours yesterday and in a certain 
order. I seek again to enumerate them thus, only this 
time reminding you that the one Ray of which all the 
others, are but sub-rays, might be regarded as a circle of 
seven-fold light. Too apt is the student to picture seven 
bands, striking down athwart the five lower planes till 
they contact the earth plane and are absorbed into dense 
matter. Not so is it in fact. The seven colours may be 
regarded as a band of seven colours circling and continu- 
ously shifting and moving through the planes back to 

their originating source These seven bands of colour 

emanate from the synthetic Ray. The indigo sub-ray of 
the indigo Ray forms the path of least resistance from the 
heart of densest matter back again to the source. The 
bands of colour form a circulating ring which, moving at 
different rates of vibration, passes through all the planes, 
circling down and up again. What I seek to bring out 
specially here is that these seven bands do not all move at 
the same rate, and herein lies hid the key to the complexity 
of the matter. Some move at a swifter rate of vibration 
than do some of the others. Hence — as they carry their 
corresponding monads with them — you have here the 



COLOUR 209 

answer to the question as to why some egos seem to make 
more rapid progress than do some others. 

These coloured rings do not follow a straight 
unimpeded course, but interweave in a most curious 
manner, blending with each other, absorbing each other in 
stated cycles, and grouping themselves in groups of threes 
or fives, yet ever moving onwards. This is the real found- 
ation to the diamond pattern upon the back of the serpent 
of wisdom. Three major lines of colour should be por- 
trayed as forming the lattice work on the serpent's skin, 
with the four other colours interweaving. Some day some 
student of colour and of the Divine Wisdom should com- 
pile a large chart of the seven planes, and super-imposed 
upon those planes should be placed a seven-coloured ser- 
pent of wisdom. If correctly drawn to scale some interest- 
ing geometrical patterns will be found as the circles cut 
across the planes, and. some impression will be conveyed 
occularly of the complexity of the matter of the seven 
Rays 

Certain brief statements seem to be in place : — 

The true indigo is the blue of the vault of heaven 
on a moonless night. It is the culmination, and at the 
attainment by all of synthesis, the solar night will super- 
vene. Hence the colour corresponds to what the sky night- 
ly proclaims. Indigo absorbs. 

Green is the basis of the activity of nature. It 
was the synthetic colour for system 1, and is the founda- 
tion for the present manifested system. The note of 
nature is green, and each time a man reviews the robe in 
which the earth is clad he is contacting some of the force 
that reached its consummation in system 1. Green stimu- 
lates and heals. 

I seek to call your attention here to the fact that it is 
not yet permissible to give out the esoteric significance of 



210 COLOUK 

these colours, nor exact information as to their order and 
application. The dangers are too great for in the right 
understanding of the laws of colour and in the knowledge 
(for instance) of which colour stands for a particular Ray 
lies the power the adept wields. 
Comments on the colours. 

Certain colours are known and it might be well if we 
here enumerated them. The synthetic Ray is indigo, or a 
deep blue. It is the Ray of Love and Wisdom, the great 
fundamental Ray of this present solar system, and is one 
of the cosmic Rays. This cosmic Ray divides itself, for 
purposes of manifestation, into seven sub-rays, as follows : 

1. Indigo and a colour not disclosed. 

2. Indigo-indigo. . .The second sub-ray of Love and 
Wisdom. It finds its great expression on the 
second monadic plane, and its major manifesta- 
tion in the monads of love. 

3. Indigo-green The third sub-ray, the third 

major Ray of activity or adaptability. It is the 
basic Ray of the second system. It is the great 
Ray for the deva evolution. 

4. Indigo-yellow The harmony Ray. 

5. Indigo-orange . . . The Ray of concrete knowledge. 

6. Indigo .... and a colour not disclosed. The Ray of 

devotion. 

7. Indigo-violet The Ray of ceremonial order. 



COLOUR 211 

Now you will note that I do not name the two colours, 
indigo-red and indigo-blue, nor do I apportion them to cer- 
tain Rays or planes. It is not that it is not possible to 
do so, but it is the withholding of this information that 
creates the puzzle. Certain things you must always re- 
member in dealing with these colours: 

That I have given their exoteric names and ap- 
plication, and that of all I have given only two correspond 
with their esoteric appplication, — indigo and green. The 
synthetic Ray and the activity Ray are at this stage the 
only two of which you can be absolutely assured. One is 
the goal of endeavour, and the other is the foundation 
colour of nature. 

That the other five colours with which our five- 
fold evolution is concerned, change, inter-mingle, blend, 
and are not esoterically understood in the same sense as 
you might imagine from the use of the words, red, yellow, 
orange, blue and violet. Esoterically they scarcely re- 
semble their names, and the names themselves are intended 
to blind and mislead. 

That each of these three colours and the other 
two, are only understood as yet through four of their 
lesser sub-rays. This is the fourth round and only four 
sub-rays of these colours have as yet been glimpsed. By 
remembering these three points undue emphasis will not 
be laid upon apparent information, and the student will 
wisely reserve his opinion. 

Yellow is another of the colours that have come 
to us from system 1. The blending of blue and of yellow in 
that system had much to do with the production of ac- 
tivity. Yellow harmonises, it marks completion and 
fruition. Note how in autumn, when the processes of 
nature have run their course and the cycle is complete, 



212 COLOUR 

how the yellow of autumn is spread upon the landscape. 
Note also that when the sun pours unimpeded down, the 
yellow of the harvest is also to be seen. So it is in the 
life of the spirit. When the fourth plane of harmony or of 
buddhi is achieved, then is consummation. When the 
work of the personality is completed, and when the sun of 
the micrososm, the Ego, pours unimpeded down into the 
personal life, then comes fruition and harvest. The at- 
one-ment, or the harmonising has been made, and the goal 
has been reached. Blue and yellow blended result in 
green, and the synthetic blue or indigo (the love and wis- 
dom aspect) dominates when the plane of harmony is 
reached. It leads then to the third plane of atma whereon 
the green of activity predominates 

August 31st, 1920. 

In continuing our study of colour and meditation, and 
our particular division in that study, I would — for your 
encouragement — point out that the part that falls to you 
is the reception and publication of these letters and of the 
imparted data, whereas the responsibility for that data 
rests with me. Even if you understand them not, and even 
if it seems to you that some of the data may be contra- 
dictory, I would suggest for your consideration that in the 
esoteric interpretation lies hid half the mystery, and the 
other half is concealed by the fact that all interpretation 
depends upon the standpoint of the interpreter, and the 
plane whereon his consciousness is working. The value of 
what I impart now consists in this : — that in the study of 
colour (which is one form of the study of vibration) comes 
the ability to understand personal vibration, to attune that 
vibration to the egoic one, and to synchronise it later with 
that of the Master. One of the main methods of effecting 



COLOUR 213 

this synchronisation is meditation. When the intelligence 
grasps the scientific facts anent this subject, then comes 
the utilisation of these facts for the advancement of vibra- 
tion, and the wise development of the colours necessitated. 

We dealt in my last letter with the four colours 
— blue, indigo, green, and yellow, — and in this primary 
grouping lies much of interest. We now come to a differ- 
ent group of colours, and one that falls naturally together, 
orange, red, and violet. 

Orange. This colour is for our purpose the colour 
of the mental plane, the colour that marks burning; it is 
the symbol of flame, and curiously enough the colour that 
epitomises separation. But I would have you note that 
the occult orange is not exactly the colour that you under- 
stand by the term. Exoteric orange is a blend of yellow 
and red; esoteric orange is a purer yellow, and the red 
scarcely is seen at all. This orange comes in as a vibra- 
tion set up by a cosmic ray, for you have to remem- 
ber that this fifth ray (just as the fifth plane and the 
fifth principle) is closely allied to the cosmic ray of the 
intelligence, or to that activity aspect that found its great 
expression in the first solar system. The synthetic ray of 
that time was the green ray, and it found one of its closest 
alliances in the ray of orange, or mind or intelligence 
demonstrating through form. You get a correspondence 
in this solar system in the synthetic Ray of love and wis- 
dom, and its close relationship to the fourth Ray of har- 
mony. It finds a demonstration in the triangle formed by 
their inter-action, as follows: — 



214 COLOUK 



FIRST SOLAR SYSTEM 

Green Ray 

Third Aspect 

Activity or Intelligence 



3rd sub-ray 5th sub-ray 

Activity Manas, mind 

Green-green Green-orange 



SECOND SOLAR SYSTEM 

Indigo Ray 

Second Aspect 

Love and Wisdom 



2nd sub-ray 4th sub-ray 

Love and Wisdom Harmony 

Indigo-indigo Indigo-yellow 



COLOUR 215 

In the activity system you have the third aspect of 
universal mind or activity, demonstrating through the 

orange of the concrete sub-ray adaptability through 

form — form which perfectly expresses that latent activity. 
Similarly in the second system of love, you have the love 
aspect demonstrating through the yellow of the ray of 
harmony or beauty — love expressing itself perfectly 
through unity, harmony or beauty. Note here the 
fact that I again use terms that are dependent for their 
correctness upon their exoteric or esoteric interpretation. 

Therefore to return to what I earlier said, this orange 
comes in as a vibration set up by the earlier cosmic ray 
of activity in the earlier solar system ; the force of orange 
(which is scientific apprehension by the intelligence) 
comes in to perfect the link between spirit and form, be- 
tween life and the vehicles through which it is seeking ex- 
pression. 

We might apportion the great basic colours between 
the various terms that we use to express the totality of 
the manifested universe : — 



1. Life Aspect 2. Form Aspect 3. Intelligence Aspect 

Spirit Matter Mind 

Consciousness. . Vehicle Vitality 

Self Not-Self Relation between 



Ray Ray Ray 

2. Love and Wisdom. 1. Power or Will 3. Activity or 

adaptability 
4. Harmony 7. Ceremonial Law . ... 5. Concrete 

Knowledge 
6. Devotion 5. Concrete Knowledge. 



216 COLOUE 

This is but one of the ways in which the rays may 
be apportioned and considered as influences having direct 
effect upon the evolving life, or upon the form in which 
it evolves by means of that third factor, the intelligence. 
These three divisions make the three points of a cosmic 
triangle : — 

Intelligence 




Life Form 

and the current of the rays playing macrocosmically be- 
tween the three has its microcosmic correspondence in the 
fire of kundalini (awakened through meditation) playing 
in accurate geometrical form between the three major 
centres : — 

Head 




Heart Throat 

All the seven rays inter-act between the life, the form 
and the inner mind, and are in their essence themselves 
those three. They are life, they are form, they are intelli- 
gence, and their totality is the manifested universe. All 
seven at different times play on the different aspects. 



COLOUR 217 

The most important interaction exists between: — 

a. The love-wisdom ray and the harmony ray, as 
it does between the monadic plane and the budd- 
hic. 

b. The power ray and that of ceremonial law, just 
as it does between the first and the seventh planes. 

c. The activity or adaptability ray and that of con- 
crete knowledge or science, just as it does between 
the third plane of atma and the fifth plane of 
mind. Green and orange were allied in the first 
solar system, and continue their alliance here. I 
have opened up for all true students vast realms 
of thought. 

In the relationship between indigo, blue and yellow 
lies hid a secret. 

In the relationship between green, orange and red an- 
other is revealed. 

In the relationship between blue, red, and violet lies 
still another mystery. 

The student, who, by using his intuition, apprehends 
these three mysteries has found the key to the greater 
cycle and holds the key to evolutionary development. 
Remember, therefore, when studying the microcosm that 
the same relationship will be found, and will open the 
portal to the "Kingdom of God within." 

Red is for all apparent purposes one of the most 
difficult colours to consider. It ranks as undesirable. 
Why? Because it has been considered as the colour of 
kama, or evil desire, and the picture of the dark and 
lurid reds in the emotional body of the undeveloped man 
rises ever to one's vision. Yet — at some distant time — red 
will be the basis of a solar system, and in the perfect merg- 
ing of red, green and blue will come eventually the com- 



218 COLOUR 

pleted work of the Logos and the consummation of the 
pure white light. 

The activity system was green. 

The love system is blue. 

The power system will be red. 

The result of merging red, blue, and green is — as you 
know — white, and the Logos will then have esoterically 
"washed His robes and made them white in the blood", 
just as the microcosm, in a lesser sense, does in process of 
evolution. 

Violet. In a curious way the violet ray of cere- 
monial law or order is a synthetic ray when manifested in 
the three worlds. Just as the synthetic ray of love and 
wisdom is the synthesis of all the life forces, so in the three 
worlds the seventh ray synthesises all that has to do with 
form. On the first plane, life in its purest, highest, un- 
differentiated synthetic aspect ; on the seventh plane, form 
in its densest, grossest, most differentiated aspect; one is 
summed up in the synthetic ray of love, whilst the other is 
worked upon by the seventh. 

A synthesis too is found in the fact that through the 
medium of violet the deva and human kingdoms can find 
a place of contact. Esoterically violet is white. In the 
blending of these two kingdoms the seven Heavenly Men 
attain perfection and completeness, and are esoterically 
considered to be white, the synonym of perfection. 

Another point of synthesis is the fact that through 
the dominance of this seventh ray comes a point of merging 
between the dense physical and the etheric bodies. This is 
of paramount importance in the macrocosm, and to the 
student of meditation. It is necessary to effect this merg- 
ing and alignment before the transmission of the teaching 
to the dense physical brain can in any way be considered 



COLOUR 219 

accurate. It has a close bearing upon the alignment of 
the centres. 

I have sought in the above remarks solely to indicate 
lines of thought which, if followed closely, may lead to sur- 
prising results. By the study of colours and the planes, 
by the study of colour and its effect and relationship to the 
life side, and by the study of the form side of the mind, 
will come much of value to the student of meditation, 
provided always he does three things: — 

1. That he seeks to find the esoteric colours and 
their right application to the planes and centres, to the 
bodies through which he manifests, and to the bodies 
through which the Logos manifests (the seven sacred 
planets ) ; to the rounds and to the races, and to the cycles 
of his own individual life. When he can do this he holds 
in his hands the key to all knowledge. 

2. That he endeavours to make practical application 
of all indicated truth to his personal life of service in the 
three worlds, and that he tries to conform in his methods 
of work to the methods demonstrated by the Logos through 
the seven rays or influences. By this I mean that, through 
meditation, he brings his life systematically and in or- 
dered occult cycles under those seven great influences, and 
so produces an ordered beauty in his manifestation of the 
Ego. 

3. That he remembers ever that perfection, as we 
know it, is only partial and not real, and that even perfec- 
tion itself — as grasped by the mind of man — is but illusion, 
and that only the next Logoic manifestation will reveal 
the ultimate glory in view. As long as there is differ- 
entiated colour there is imperfection. Remember, colour 
as we know it is the realisation by the man using a fifth 
root race body in the fourth round on the fourth chain, of 
a vibration that contacts the human eye. What then will 



220 COLOUR 

colour be as visioned by a man of the seventh round in a 
seventh root race body? Even then a whole range of 
colours of wondrous beauty will be outside and beyond 
his comprehension. The reason being that only two great 
aspects of Logoic life are being thoroughly demonstrated 
and the third will be but partially revealed, waiting for 
the still greater "Day be with us" to flash forth in perfect 
radiance. This word "radiance" has an occult meaning 
worthy of your consideration. 

September 3rd, 1920. 

In the steady adherence to the next duty and the 
planting of the foot firmly on the next step ahead lies the 
open road to the Master, and the incidental clearing away 
of all difficulties. In the formulating of high mental con- 
cepts, and the expressing of them on the physical plane 
lies that development of the mental body that permits of 
an ever greater influx of the life from above. In the 
stabilising of the emotions, and in the transference of de- 
sire from that plane to the buddhic comes the ability to 
reflect truly the higher point of view. In the disciplined, 
purified physical body comes the capacity to work out that 
which the inner man knows. If these three things are at- 
tended to the law can then work and emancipation be 
hastened. People ask themselves, how does the law work? 
What is our part in the carrying out of action that sets 
the law loose in the individual life? Simply adherence, as 
stated above, to the highest duty and an ordering of the 
personality life so that that duty may be perfectly 
achieved. 
The Esoteric and Exoteric colours. 

Today our subject is the second one in our letter on 
the use of colour and deals with the law of correspond- 
ences and of colour The esoteric meaning of the 



COLOUR 221 

exoteric colours is not yet wholly imparted, as I have al- 
ready told you. Some of these meanings have been given 
out by H.P.B. but their significance has not been sufficient- 
ly apprehended. One hint I give for your wise considera- 
tion. Some of the information given in the Secret Doc- 
trine anent colour and sound concerns the first solar sys- 
tem and some concerns a portion of the second solar sys- 
tem. The distinction has naturally not been apprehended, 
but as a key fact for studying in the newer school, the 
revelation will be great. In this statement as to the esoter- 
ic significance of the colours I would have you now 
tabulate (even though it can be found in the Secret Doc- 
trine), in order to form the basis of such later communi- 
cations as I may seek to impart. 

E wot eric Esoteric 

Purple Blue 

Yellow Indigo 

Cream Yellow 

White Violet 

Only four as yet can be communicated, but if rightly 
understood they hold the key to the present fourth round, 
and to its history. This being the fourth chain and the 
fourth round you will note therefore how in the number 
four lies the history of the present. Especially would I 
urge you who are the teachers and students of the coming 
generation to ponder upon the significance of white being 
esoterically violet. It has special application now in 
the coming in of the violet ray, the seventh ray being one 
of the three major rays in this round; it wields power in 
ratio to the four, on the four and under the four. 

The esoteric colours of the exoteric red, green and 
orange may not yet be imparted to the general public, 
though students and accepted chelas, whose discrimination 



222 COLOUR 

can be trusted, can attain the necessary knowledge with 
effort. 

I would here like to point out certain other considera- 
tions which can be best dealt with by a brief consideration 
of the law of analogy and correspondence. We might 
therefore consider the following points: — 

a. Wherein the microcosm and the macrocosm cor- 
respond. 

b. The basic correspondences. 

c. Colour in the microcosm and in the macrocosm. 

Let us briefly take up each point, for in the right ap- 
prehension of the law lies the ability to think esoterically, 
and wrest the inner meaning out of the external happen- 
ings. 

Microcosmic and macrocosmic correspondence. 

The relationship between the microcosm and the 
macrocosm is accurate, and exists not only broadly but 
likewise in detail. This is a fact to be grasped and worked 
out. As knowledge increases and progress is made, and as 
the ability to meditate results in the faculty of trans- 
mitting from the higher Triad to the personality via the 
causal then these facts will be ever more clearly demon- 
strated in detail, and perfect comprehension will ensue. 
"As above, so below'' is a truism glibly repeated but little 
realised. What is found above and what will consequently 
be developing below? 

Above will be found Will, Love and Activity, or 
Power, Wisdom and Intelligence, the terms that we apply 
to the three aspects of divine manifestation. Below will 
be found these three in process of appearing : — 

a. The personality expresses active intelligence. 

b. The Ego expresses love or wisdom. 

c. The Monad expresses power or will. 



COLOUR 223 

You have in the three worlds of the personality: — 

a. The physical, expressing a reflection of the activ- 
ity aspect. 

b. The astral, expressing a reflection of the love or 
wisdom aspect. 

c. The mental, expressing a reflection of the will or 
power aspect. 

What have you for the colours of those three bodies, 
exoterically described? 

a. The violet of the physical as expressed by the 
etheric. 

b. The rose or red of the astral. 

c. The orange of the mental. 

What have you in the Triad, or the world of the three-fold 
Ego? 

a. Higher manas, expressing the activity or intelli- 
gence aspect. 

b. Buddhi, expressing the love or wisdom aspect. 

c. Atma, expressing the will or power aspect. 
What again are the colours of those bodies exoterically de- 
scribed? 

a. The blue of the higher manasic levels. 

b. The yellow of the buddhic level. 

c. The green of the atmic level. 

They are in the process of transmutation. You have to 
effect the corresponding change of colour from the lower 
to the higher. Couple up this information that I have here 
imparted with that given in an earlier letter on the trans- 
ference of polarisation. 

There is a direct correspondence between: — 

a. The violet of the etheric level and the blue of the 
higher mental. 

b. The rose of the astral and the yellow of the budd- 
hic. 



22i COLOUR 

c. The orange of the mental and the green of the 
atmic. 

The secret of it all is to be found in the application 
of the occult laws of meditation. 

Again you can shift the whole range of colour higher, 
and in the Monad work out the correspondence. 

a. The green of the third aspect. 

b. The synthetic blue or indigo of the second aspect. 

c. The red of the first aspect. 

I would point out here that as you return to the centre 
of systemic evolution the nomenclature of these colours is 
most misleading. The red, for instance, has no resem- 
blance to that termed red or rose on the lower plane. The 
red, the green and the indigo of these high levels are to all 
intents and purposes new colours of a beauty and trans- 
lucence inconceivable. If justly interpreted, you have here 
a hint of the correspondence between the microcosm and 
the macrocosm. 

The colours exoterically have to do with the form. 
The forces or qualities which those colours conceal and 
hide have to do with the life, evolving within those forms. 
By the use of meditation the bridge is formed which con- 
nects these two. Meditation is the expression of the in- 
intelligence that links life and form, the self and the not- 
self, and in time and in the three worlds the process of 
this connection eventuates on the plane of mind which 
links the higher and the lower. The correspondence will 
always be found perfect. Therefore through meditation 
will come that knowledge which will effect three things : — 

1. Give the inner significance of the exoteric colour. 

2. Build in the qualities that those colours veil. 

3. Effect the necessary transmutation of the colours 
from the personality to the Triad, and later from 
the Triad to the Monad. 



COLOUR 225 

The causal body acts as a synthesis of these colours 
in the life of the reincarnating Ego, just as the synthetic 
ray blends all the colours in logoic manifestation. En- 
deavour to keep clear in your own mind that colours 

are the expressions of force or quality. They hide or veil 
the abstract qualities of the Logos, which qualities are re- 
flected in the microcosm in the three worlds as virtues or 
faculties. Therefore, just as the seven colours hide quali- 
ties in the Logos, so these virtues demonstrate in the life 
of the personality and are brought forward objectively 
through the practice of meditation; thus each life will be 
seen as corresponding to a colour. Ponder on this. 

The basic correspondences. 

It is in the study of these correspondences in the dif- 
ferent departments of the manifested universe, and the 
application of these colours to their adjusted portion that 
the beauty of the synthetic whole and the illuminating of 
the microcosmic life ensues. Let us enumerate or tabulate 
in broad general fashion, leaving the detailed working out 
to the student of meditation. More at this juncture is not 
possible. 

1. The threefold solar system. 
The threefold evolving jiva. 
The three aspects of the Logos. 
The threefold Monad. 

The spiritual Triad, the Ego. 

The threefold personality. 

The three worlds of human evolution. 

The three persons of the Deity. 

2. The four Lipika Lords. 
The four Maharajahs. 

The fourfold lower man, the quarternary. 



226 COLOUB 

B. The five planes of human evolution. 
The &ye senses. 

The fivefold department of the Mahachohan. 
The Hye kingdoms of nature. 

a. The mineral kingdom. 

b. The vegetable kingdom. 

c. The animal kingdom. 

d. The human kingdom. 

e. The spiritual or superhuman kingdom. 
The fifth principle of manas. 

4. The seven rays or hierarchies. 

The seven colours. 

The seven planes of manifestation. 

The seven Kumaras. 

The seven principles of man. 

The seven centres. 

The seven sacred planets. 

The seven chains. 

The seven globes. 

The seven rounds. 

The seven root races and sub-races. 

The seven initiations. 
What I seek to emphasise in the above table is, that to 
the adept the correspondence of all these is perfectly 
known and exists in terms of consciousness, in terms of 
form, and in terms of intelligence. He knows it, — if I may 
so express it, — in terms of colour when dealing with form ; 
in terms of sound when dealing with the life side, and in 
terms of vitality when dealing with intelligence, or the 
activity aspect. The above statement will repay much 
earnest thought; it contains a statement of occult fact. 
According to the three lines of approach as dealt with in 
our preceding letter, will be the use of the terms as above 
described. 



COLOUE 227 

Colour in the microcosm and in the macrocosm. 

Here lies much of difficulty owing to the process of 
constant mutation. Colour in the microcosm is subject to 
the following factors : — 

1. The factor of the ray of the Ego. 

2. The factor of the ray of the personality. 

3. The factor of the point in evolution. 

One hint may here be given. At a low point in evolu- 
tion the colours are largely based on the activity aspect. 
Later comes the working in of the love, or wisdom aspect, 
which has three effects : — 

a. The dropping out of colours from the lower 
sheaths which are the left-overs from a previous 
system. It involves the elimination of such hues 
as brown and gray. 

b. The transmutation of certain colours into those 
of higher tone. 

c. An effect of translucence, or an underlying radi- 
ance or brilliance, which is the result of the 
greater purity of the bodies and the dimensions 
of the ever-growing inner flame. 

4. The factor of the ray, or rays, that are manifested 
passing out of manifestation or coming into manifestation. 
These rays necessarily affect the egos in incarnation ; they 
cause a change of vibration somewhat or a consequent 
change of colouring or of quality. If a man, for instance, 
is on the ray of science, and comes under the influence of 
the incoming ray of harmony, the effect on his trend of 
thought, and consequently on the colour he will be demon- 
strating, will be quite noticeable. All these factors cause 
the blending and merging and mixing that is practically 
inextricably confusing to the man from the standpoint of 
the three worlds. 

I appreciate your feeling that even these hints 



228 COLOUK 

but lead apparently to greater confusion. But by constant 
application to the subject in hand, by frequent brooding 
and meditation on the colours, and by an endeavour to at- 
tain their esoteric significance, and their microcosmic ap- 
plication, will gradually appear the thread that will lead 
the student out of his confusion into the clear light of per- 
fect knowledge. Have, therefore, courage, a broad elasticity 
of view, and an ability to reserve opinion until further 
facts are demonstrated, and also an avoidance of dogmatic 
assertion. These will be your best guides in the early days 
of your search. Many have, through meditation and a 
receptiveness to the higher teaching, found their way out 
of the Hall of Learning into the Hall of Wisdom. Only 
in the Hall of Wisdom can the esoteric interpretation of 
the colours be truly known. That Hall is entered through 
the meditation which prepares the student for that initia- 
tion which opens to him the door. Therefore, hold fast to 
meditation and falter not in purpose. 

September 4th, 1920. 
We have for discussion today, something of real 
spiritual application in a practical sense. Much that I 
have imparted to you has provided food for thought and 
for speculation. It tends to the development of the higher 
mind and by stimulation of imagination it somewhat de- 
velops the intuition. Much of it has been in the nature of 
prophecy, and of the holding forth of an ideal some day to 
be attained. Only by pointing out the goal and by em- 
phasising that point will man be induced to make the nec- 
essary effort and thereby approximate in some measure the 
desired position. But today we come down to practical 
living and the imposing upon the personality of a certain 
rate of rhythm. We do this in our study of the third point 
upon the effect of colour: — 



COLOUR 229 

a. On the bodies of the student. 

b. On the groups with which he is affiliated. 

c. On his environment. 

The point I seek specially to emphasise is the life side 
and not the form side of colour. As I wrote earlier, colour 
is but the form assumed by force, of some kind, when that 
force is moving at a certain measure, and when its action 
and movement is impeded or unimpeded by the material 
through which it plays. In this sentence lies the key to 
the solution of the problem as to the colour differences on 
the higher planes and on the lower. The resistance of mat- 
ter to the downflow of force or life, and its relative density 
or rarity accounts for much of the colour distinction. One 
of the distinctions has, necessarily, a cosmic basis and is 
consequently difficult of apprehension by three-dimension- 
al man in this, the fourth, round. But the basic reason of 
the difference can be apprehended sufficiently to permit 
the pupil to realise the absolute necessity of steadily re- 
fining his vehicles so that the force may radiate through 
with greater facility. It is therefore on the three lower 
planes a question of practical living and a bringing of all 
the three bodies under definite rules for refinement. 

These forces in terms of spiritual development and not 
so much in terms of form demonstrate through the virtues, 
as you call them, through magnetism and through vitality 
and intelligence. To put it quite briefly, as the student 
builds a pure physical body and a refined etheric, as he 
develops the emotional virtues and as he co-ordinates and 
enlarges his mental body, he is continuously altering its 
rate of vibration, and changing its rhythm, which change 
demonstrates to the eye of the clairvoyant as mutation in 
colour. As you have been taught, the colours as seen in 
the aura of a savage and in those of the average developed 
man are extraordinarily dissimilar. Why? Because one 



230 COLOUR 

is moving or vibrating at a slow rate and the other with 
greatly increased rapidity. One has a rhythm slow, slug- 
gish and heavy, the other is pulsating and moving with a 
tremendous velocity, permitting consequently a more 
rapid play of the material of which those bodies are con- 
structed. 

Therefore, I would like to point out that as the race 
progresses as a collective unit, Those Who gaze upon it 
from a higher plane are aware of the steady improvement 
in the colours seen, and of a greater purity and clarity of 
hue in the aura of the race, which aura is composed of the 
composite auras of the units of the race. For instance, 
the aura of the Atlantean root race and that of the Aryan 
are widely diverse, and radically different. We have, there- 
fore, demonstrated our first point that, as the units evolve, 
the colours change and this is brought about by the trans- 
mutation of what you term vices, into virtues. A vice is 
the dominance of an involutionary quality of the same force 
which at a later period will show forth as a virtue. 

The second point I seek to make is, that these in- 
fluences (which show forth as colours when they contact 
matter) move in their own ordered cycles. These cycles 
we describe as the coming in or the going out of a ray. 
In this fourth round usually four rays are in flux at any 
one given time; by this I seek to impress upon you that 
though all rays manifest in the solar system, at certain 
stages of manifestation more or less of them will be dom- 
inating simultaneously. These rays, forces, influences, 
or co-ordinations of qualities, when expressed in terms of 
light, colour the matters they impinge upon with certain 
recognizable hues, and these give the tone to the life of the 
personality or to the Ego. They are recognized by you as 
the composite character and are seen by the clairvoyant 
as colour. 



COLOUR 231 

Groups, therefore, of units who converge through 
similarity of vibration will be seen as having approximate- 
ly the same basic hue, though with many lesser differen- 
tiations in colour and tone. As stated before, the colour 
of large masses of people can be gauged and judged. It 
is in this way that the members of the Hierarchy in Whose 
Hands is placed evolutionary development in the three 
worlds, judge of the stage attained and the progress made. 

Different rays come in bearing units coloured by that 
ray. Other rays pass out carrying with them units of a 
different basic hue. In the period of transition the blend- 
ing of colour is of deep complexity, but of mutual helpful- 
ness and benefit. Each ray imparts somewhat to the other 
lays in incarnation at the same time, and the rate of 
rhythm will be slightly affected. This from the standpoint 
of the present and of time in the three worlds, may be al- 
most inappreciably small, but through the frequent meet- 
ing and interplay of the forces and colours, and their con- 
stant action and inter-action upon each other will come a 
steady, general levelling up, and an approximation in 
vibration. You will see, therefore, how synthesis is 
achieved at the end of a greater maha-manvantara. The 
three rays absorb the seven and lead eventually to a merg- 
ing in the synthetic ray. 

In the microcosm the three rays of the Monad, the 
Ego, and the personality will likewise dominate and ab- 
sorb the seven, and in time also lead to a merging in the 
synthetic ray of the Monad. The correspondence will be 
found perfect. 

These forces, or virtues, or influences (I re-iterate 
synonymous terms because of the need of clear thinking on 
your part) are gradually received into the bodies of the 
personality with ever greater facility and fuller expres- 
sion. As the bodies are refined they provide better med- 



232 COLOUR 

iums for incoming forces, and the quality of any particu- 
lar force, — or, to reverse it, the force of any particular 
quality, becomes more perfectly expressed. Here comes in 
the work of the student in meditation. Early in evolution 
these forces played through and on the bodies of a man 
with little understanding on his part, and small ability 
to profit thereby. But as time proceeds, he comprehends 
more and more the value of all that eventuates, and seeks 
to profit by the sum of the qualities of his life. Herein 
comes opportunity. In the intelligent apprehension of 
quality, in the striving after virtue, and in the building-in 
of God-like attribute, comes response to those forces and 
a facilitating of their action. The student of meditation 
ponders on those forces or qualities, he seeks to extract 
their essence, and to comprehend their spiritual signific- 
ance ; he broods on his own lack of response, he realises the 
difftciencies in his vehicle as a medium for those forces ; he 
studies the rate of his rhythmic vibration, and he strenu- 
ously endeavors to bend every opportunity to meet the 
need. He concentrates on the virtue, and, (if he is so 
situated that he is aware of the incoming ray or of the 
ray in dominance at that time), he avails himself of the 
hour of opportunity and co-operates with the force extant. 
All this he does through the ordered forms of the true and 
occult meditation. 

As time progresses — yes, again I prophecy — occult 
students will be given certain facts anent the dominating 
rays which will enable them to avail themselves of the 
opportunity any particular ray affords. 

Effect on the Environment. 

As regards our third point, the effect of all the above 
on the environment, it will be obvious at once to the care- 
ful student that the effect upon the environment will be 



COLOUR 233 

noticeable, especially as more and more of the human race 
come under the conscious control of their higher self and 
in line with the law. Certain things will then be 
possible : — 

a. Direct contact with the deva or angel evolution 
will come about, though it is impossible now through in- 
stability of vibration. 

b. Many very highly developed souls will come in 
who are at present hindered by the low rate of vibration 
and consequent heaviness of colour of the majority 
of the human race. There are, in the heaven world and on 
the causal level, some great, and, to you, incomprehensible 
units of the fourth Creative Hierarchy, awaiting oppor- 
tunity of expression, just as some of you awaited a period 
in the Atlantean race before taking incarnation on this 
planet. When the rate of the vibration of a larger per- 
centage of the race has reached a certain measure, and 
when the colour aspect of the co-ordinated auras of the 
groups is of a certain tone, they will return, and bring to 
the earth much of value past your realisation. 

c. Another interesting point upon which we have 
not time to dwell is that the rhythmic effect on even the 
two kingdoms beneath the human will be objectively de- 
monstrable. It was no idle boast of the prophet of Israel 
when he said "The leopard shall lie down with the lamb" 
or that "the desert shall blossom like a rose". It will be 
brought about by the domination of certain vibrations and 
the bringing in of certain colours veiling certain virtues 
or influences. 

September 7th, 1920. 

Today we will take up the subject of the application 
of colour. If colours are but the veil cast over an influ- 



234 COLOUR 

ence, and if you can, by use of the intuition, find out which, 
colours thus shroud a virtue you have the key to the matter 
in hand. You will have noted two facts that stand out 
in these letters : — 

That the subject touched upon is so vast that 
only its outline has in any way been attempted. 

That each sentence written in these letters aims 
at an exact impartation of a complete thought and is full 
of matter for consideration. Why have I not dealt with 
the matter in greater detail, and why have I not entered 
into lengthy explanations and sought to expand the sen- 
tences into paragraphs? For the sole reason that if the 
preliminary work has been done in the meditation of the 
past years by the student he will find the material of these 
letters conducive to the development of abstract thought, 
and to the widening of the channel that communicates with 
the intuition. I but seek to be suggestive. My aim is but 
to indicate. The usefulness of the teaching I give depends 
upon the intuition of the pupil. Therefore, when I say 
that colour has certain effects when applied I would warn 
you that it will be necessary to interpret the above in 
terms of life, in terms of form, and in terms of mind. 

The application of colour. 

a. In meditation. 

b. In healing. 

c. In constructive work. 

Colour may be used in many ways, and the above 
three ways do not cover the subject. They but indicate 
three ways that are of immediate and practical use to the 
student. Colour may be employed in contacting other 
evolutions, sub-human or super-human: in definite work 



COLOUR 235 

of destruction or of shattering; it may be used in conjunc- 
tion with other methods such as music or movement, or 
in connection with stated mantrams thereby bringing 
about certain results, but with all these we need not, in 
this series of letters, concern ourselves. The growth of 
the individual and his increased capacity to be of service 
are all brought about by the wise use of occult meditation. 
Let us therefore consider our first point. 

Use of Colour in Meditation. 

All colours emanate from one source or one primary 
colour — in this solar system the cosmic ray of indigo 
veiling cosmic love or wisdom, — and then split into three 
major colours and thence into the four minor, making the 
seven colours of the spectrum. You will expect to see 
the same effect in the life of the individual, for always the 
macrocosm affects the microcosm. His primary colour 
will be his monadic ray, manifesting next in the three 
colours of the Triad and in the four colours of the Quar- 
ternary. These colours on the path of return are resolved 
into the three and thence again into the one. 

The path of manifestation, of differentation, is the 
path of acquisition. It is the homogeneous becoming the 
many or the heterogeneous. It is the breaking up of the 
one basic colour into its many component parts. This is 
the form side, the expression of that which veils the life. 
On the life side it is the development from the one basic 
quality of the many inherent virtues ; it is the latent possi- 
bility of divinity demonstrating as the many attributes of 
the divine; it is the one life manifesting its many 
qualities through diversity of form. It is the self, 
with the inherent capabilities of the All Self, utilizing 
forms for the demonstration of its all-including per- 
fections. On the intelligence side it is the method whereby 



236 COLOUR 

the life utilises the form and develops its thorough com- 
prehension, analysis and intellect. It is the relation be- 
tween life and form, the self and the not-self, between 
spirit and matter, manifesting as modes of expression 
whereby the indwelling divinity imposes his character- 
istics upon the material provided for his using. The God 
within expresses all his latent virtues through forms by 
the use of activity or intelligence. The life shows colour 
and the form perfects those colours as the intelligence 
aspect (which forms the energising link) becomes more 
evolved and comprehension is developed. 

On the path of return, renunciation is the rule, in 
contra-distinction to the earlier method. The indwelling 
life renounces the forms, hitherto regarded (and necess- 
arily so) as essential. By the use now of the intelligence 
which has linked these two pairs of opposites, spirit and 
matter, consciousness and form, the forms built of matter 
by the aid of the intelligence are one after another repudi- 
ated by the aid of that same intelligence, or reasoning 
faculty transmuted into wisdom. The forms go, but the 
life remains. The colours are gradually re-absorbed, but 
the divine virtues persist, stable now and enduringly of use 
by reason of experience. Not potential are these attri- 
butes divine, but developed into powers for use. Inherent 
faculty has become active characteristics carried to the 
nth power. The veils are discarded one by one; the 
sheaths are dropped and superseded; the vehicles are dis- 
pensed with and the forms are no longer required, but 
the life ever remains and returns to its parent ray. It is 
resolved back into its primary, plus activity and expres- 
sion, plus experience and the ability to manifest; plus 
all that constitutes the difference between the ignorant 
savage and the solar Logos. This has been consummated 
by the utilisation of many forms by the life, the intelli- 



COLOUK 237 

gence constituting the means whereby that life employed 
those forms as a mode for learning. Having manifested 
as an aspect of this primary ray, having through many in- 
carnations differentiated that ray into its many component 
parts, having veiled himself under all the seven colours 
that compose that ray, the reincarnating jiva takes the 
path of return and from the seven becomes the three and 
from the three again becomes the one. 

When the man does this consciously, when he will- 
ingly and with full comprehension of what he has to do 
endeavours to set the indwelling life free from the veils 
that hide, and from the sheaths that imprison, he discovers 
that the method whereby this is accomplished is by the 
subjective life of occult meditation, and the objective life 
of service. In service is renunciation, and, under the 
occult law, therefore, in service the subjective finds libera- 
tion, and is set free from objective manifestation. Think 
this out, for it has much hidden under the veil of words. 

The occult student, therefore, from the standpoint of 
colour has two things to do in meditation. 

1. To discover his three major colours as manifested 
in the personality, the Ego, and the Monad. 

2. To resolve then the lower quarternary into the 
three, the first stage of which is consciously to withdraw in- 
to the Ego and so atrophy the lower self. The student be- 
gins by eliminating the colours that are not desirable, kill- 
ing out all low or coarse vibration and eventually so refin- 
ing his vehicles that the three major colours — of which he 
is the expression — shine out with perfect clarity. This 
leads him up to the third initiation. After that, he seeks to 
resolve the three into the one until he has withdrawn all 
his consciousness from the lower vehicles into the monadic 
sheath. 

It was not my intention, as you erroneously supposed, 



238 COLOUR 

to give you information as to the effect of colours playing 
on the bodies in meditation. I have sought only to give 
you some idea of colour as a veil that must eventually be 
set aside. Under the heading of the "Future use of 
colour/ ' I may touch upon that which interests you, but to 
understand fundamentals is far better than to have formu- 
las for experimenting given to you. 

September 10th, 1920. 

We will, today, scarcely do more than touch upon our 
second point, which is the application of colour for healing 
purposes, the reason for this brevity being that the sub- 
ject, in order to be handled correctly and therefore safely, 
should be dealt with at length, and the old adage will con- 
sequently prove true in this connection that "a little 
knowledge is a dangerous thing". Unless the matter of 
healing with colour is dealt with in correct fashion and 
with technical knowledge and at length the results achiev- 
ed might prove more disastrous than beneficent. The 
subject will later be fully elucidated if the future brings 
that which is intended, and in the meantime I can, for 
your information, outline certain features of this work, 
point out certain conditions incident to success, and fore- 
tell for you somewhat the trend the matter will probably 
take. 
Application of colour in healing. 

We are dealing with the subject now from the stand- 
point of meditation. It is essential therefore that we con- 
sider the subject from that angle. In meditation the work 
of healing is handled entirely from the mental standpoint. 
The direction of any force supplied will be from the mental 
levels, and the work done primarily will be on the mental 
body of the patient and will work from thence to the phy- 
sical via the emotional. 



COLOUR 239 

This involves on the part of the person or group that 
undertakes this work the ascertaining of certain facts. Let 
us briefly enumerate them in order to clarify the mind of 
the reader: — 

1. The work will be largely subjective and will deal 
with causes and not with effects. The primary aim of 
the healing group will be to discover the originating cause 
of the trouble and having located that cause in either the 
emotional or the mental body the members of the group 
will then proceed to deal with the effect as demonstrated in 
the physical or the etheric. Should the trouble be entirely 
physical, such as is the case in an accident of any kind, or 
in some affliction which is purely the result of heredity or 
of congenital trouble, the ordinary high class physical 
plane scientific methods will be applied at first, and the 
work of the healers will be to aid those methods through 
concentration on the subtler bodies. This applies during 
the transition period into which the race is now entering. 
Later, when the knowledge of occult healing is more famil- 
iar, and the laws which govern the subtle bodies are more 
known, physical plane science will be superseded by the 
preventive science of the subtler planes, that science which 
aims at the provision of right conditions and the building 
of bodies that are both self -protecting and neutral to all 
attack. It will be found that the comprehension of the law 
of vibration, and the effect of one vibration upon another 
vibration holds the key to the establishing of better con- 
ditions of living, and of sound bodies on all planes. 

But as things are now, disease, corruption of differ- 
ent kinds and trouble in all the bodies is everywhere con- 
tacted, and when conditions are thus recognised, means of 
aiding must be earnestly sought. This leads us on to our 
next point, 

2. The ascertaining by the group that practises heal- 



240 COLOUR 

ing of full information as to the patient, based on the 
following questions : — 

a. What are his basic lines of thought? 

By what thought-forms is he principally sur- 
rounded? 

b. What is the predominant hue of his emotional 
body? What is its rate of vibration? 

Is the patient subject to sudden turmoils that 
throw the entire emotional body into disorder? 

c. What are his most ordinary topics of conversa- 
tion? What are his principal interests? 

What literature does he study? 
What are his favourite pursuits? 

d. What is the condition of the centres in his body? 
Which centres are awakened? 

Are any centres rotating in fourth dimensional 
order? Which centre is the major one in any par- 
ticular case? 

e. What is the state of the etheric body? 

Does it show symptoms of devitalisation or of 

congestion? 

Is the patient lacking in vitality? 

What is the value of his magnetic action on other 

people? 

Having studied the patient from all these angles, and 
not at any earlier time, will the group who purpose healing 
study the physical vehicle itself in detail. Then — with 
some idea of the inner conditions that underly the trouble 
— they will study as follows : — 

f. The condition of the nervous system, giving par- 
ticular attention to the spine, and to the state 
of the inner fire. 

g. The state of the various organs of the body, and 



COLOUK 241 

especially the organ, or organs, that are causing 

distress, 
h. The structure itself, studying the bones and the 

flesh, and the condition of the vital fluid, the blood. 
Higher vision and health. 

This, as you necessarily can see, involves either direct 
scientific knowledge, or else it involves the faculty of inner 
vision, that sees the trouble wherever it may be, and can 
clairvoyantly view the entire frame and organs, so locat- 
ing instantaneously any trouble. This capacity presup- 
poses the development of those inner powers which give 
knowledge in the three worlds, and so obviates the dis- 
astrous mistakes that so oft eventuate in the modern prac- 
tice of medicine, as you call the art of healing. There will 
not be so much danger of error in the future day of heal- 
ing, but what I seek to point out is that although 
those errors will be obviated in the case of the physical 
body, yet much time must elapse before full comprehen- 
sion of the emotional body has reached the point where 
modern science has placed the physical. The healing of 
the physical body and its due comprehension and study can 
be carried on by the man who has the inner vision. With 
his ability to see on emotional levels he can co-operate 
with the modern enlightened medical man, and thus safe- 
guard him from error, enabling him to judge truly of the 
extent of the trouble, the seat of distress, its assistance, 
and the progress of the cure. 

Emotional trouble that is working out in the physical 
body, as is the case in the majority of physical ills today, 
can usually be located and eliminated by judicious treat- 
ment. But emotional trouble that is deeps eated in the 
subtle body, has to be dealt with from mental levels, so 
that it requires a mental psychic to deal with and eliminate 
it. All these methods of course entail the active conscious 



24,2 COLOUR 

co-operation of the patient himself. 

Similarly, mental trouble has to be dealt with directly 
from the causal level, and necessitates therefore the assist- 
ance of the Ego, and the help of someone who has causal 
vision and consciousness. This latter method, and the 
major part of these types of trouble, lie far ahead for the 
race, and therefore little concern us at this time. Never- 
theless the curing of physical ailments that have their 
seat in the emotional body is already beginning to be 
known and slightly studied. In the study of psychology 
and in the comprehension of nervous diseases and troubles 
and their linking together will come the next step ahead 
in medical science. The link between the body of the 
emotions and physical body is the etheric body. The next 
immediate step is to consider the etheric body in two ways, 
either as a transmitter of prana, the life force, vitality or 
magnetism, or as the vehicle which links the emotional 
nature to the dense physical. The physical invariably 
follows the behests of that nature as transmitted via the 
etheric. 

In forming groups for healing under ideal conditions 
you would have at the head of the group a person with 
causal consciousness, who can deal with any trouble in 
the mental body, and who can study the alignment of all 
the bodies with the Ego. The group will also include : — 

a. A person, or persons, who can clairvoyantly 
view the subtle body of the emotions. 

b. A number of people who know somewhat the 
rudiments of the law of vibration, and can defin- 
itely, by the power of thought, apply certain 
waves of colour to effect certain cures, and bring 
about, through scientific comprehension, the de- 
sired results. 

c. Some member of the group will also be a member 



COLOUR 243 

of the medical profession, who will work with 
the physical body, under the direction of conscious 
clairvoyants. He will study the resistance of 
the body, he will apply certain currents, and 
colours, and vibrations, which will have a direct 
physical effect, and by the co-operation of all 
those units in the group, results will be achieved 
that will merit the name of miracles. 

d. In the group, also will be a number of people 
who can meditate occultly, and can, by the power 
of their meditation, create the necessary funnel 
for the transmission of the healing forces of the 
higher self and of the Master. 

e. Besides this in each group will be found some 
person who can accurately transcribe all that 
takes place, and so keep records that will prove to 
be the literature of the new school of medicine. 

I have here touched on the ideal group. It is not as 
yet in any way possible, but a beginning can be made by 
the utilisation of any knowledge and powers that may be 
found amongst those who seek to serve their race and the 
Master. 

As you will note from the above, colours will be ap- 
plied in two ways : — 

1. On the subtler planes by the power of thought, 
and 

2. By means of coloured lights applied to the physi- 
cal body. 

On the physical plane the exoteric colour will be ap- 
plied, whilst on the subtler the esoteric. The work there- 
fore will be (until the esoteric becomes the exoteric) 
largely in the hands of the occult students of the world, 
working in organised groups under expert supervision. 

You ask, just what is the point at which these groups 



244 COLOUK 

may now begin to work with colour? The thing that now 
lies ahead to be mastered and done, is to develop the 
knowledge necessary anent the etheric, to inculcate the 
building of pure bodies, and to study the effect of different 
colours on the dense physical. It has been but little stud- 
ied as yet. It will be found that certain colours will de- 
finitely affect certain diseases, cure certain nervous 
troubles, eradicate certain nervous tendencies, tend to the 
building of new tissues, or to the burning out of corrup- 
tion. All this must be studied. Experiments can be made 
along the line of vitalisation and magnetisation, which in- 
volve direct action on the etheric, and this again will be 
found hid in the law of vibration and of colour. Later .... 
we can take up with greater detail the work of these heal- 
ing groups, when gathered for meditation. Here I would 
but add that certain colours have a definite effect, though 
I can only as yet enumerate three, and them but briefly : — 

1. Orange stimulates the action of the etheric body; 
it removes congestion and increases the flow of 
prana. 

2. Rose acts upon the nervous system and tends to 
vitalisation, and to the removal of depression, and 
symptoms of debilitation; it increases the will to 
live, 

3. Green has a general healing effect, and can be 
safely used in cases of inflammation and of fever, 
but it is almost impossible as yet to provide the 
right conditions for the application of this colour, 
or to arrive at the adequate shade. It is one of 
the basic colours to be used eventually in the heal- 
ing of the dense physical body, being the colour of 
the note of nature. 

This seems to you sketchy and inadequate? So it is, 
even more so than you can grasp. But forget not that 



COLOUR 245 

which I have often told you, that in the following up of 
brief hints lies the path that leads to the source of all 
knowledge. 

September 11, 1920. 

We come now to the final part of our thoughts on the 
use of colour in meditation. We have dealt with the 
matter in such a way that if the hints that are scattered 
throughout the communication are adequately followed 
up they will form the basis of certain inevitable conclu- 
sions. These conclusions will eventually prove to be the 
postulates upon which the newer schools of medicine or 
science will base the continuance of their work. We might 
sum up the imparted data under definite statements : — 

1. That the basic colours of the Personality must be 
transmuted into the colours of the Triad, or the 
three-fold Spirit. This is effected by the truly 
occult meditation. 

2. That the colours with which the beginner will be 
primarily concerned are orange, rose and green. 

3. That the violet ray holds the secret for this im- 
mediate cycle. 

4. That the next point of apprehended knowledge 
will be the laws governing the etheric body. 

5. That in the development of the intuition comes 
cognisance of the esoteric colours which the ex- 
oteric veil. 

6. That colour is the form and force of virtue (in 
the occult sense) in the inner life. 

I have summed up the practical points requiring im- 
mediate attention for the purposes of clarification. With 
this as the basis of study the student may expect event- 
ually to see the complete transformation of the type of 
work done both by the schools of medicine and by chairs 



246 COLOUR 

of psychology. Certain prophecies I may here make which 

you can note down for the benefit of those who may come 

after. 

Forecasts anent the future. 

1. The phraseology of the medical schools will more 
and more become based on vibration and be 
expressed in terms of sound and colour. 

2. The religious teaching of the world and the in- 
culcation of virtue will be likewise imparted in 
terms of colour. People will eventually be group- 
ed under their ray-colour, and this will be possible 
as the human race develops the faculty of seeing 
auras. The number of clairvoyants is already 
greater than is realised, owing to the reticence of 
of the true psychic. 

3. The science of numbers, being in reality the science 
of colour and sound, will also somewhat change 
its phraseology and colours will eventually super- 
sede figures. 

4. The laws that govern the erection of large build- 
ings, and the handling of great weights will some 
day be understood in terms of sound. The cycle 
returns, and in the days to come will be seen the 
re-appearance of the faculty of the Lemurians 
and early Atlanteans to raise great masses, — this 
time on a higher turn of the spiral. Mental com- 
prehension of the method will be developed. They 
were raised through the ability of the early build- 
ers to create a vacuum through sound, and to 
utilise it for their own purposes. 

5. Destruction, it will be shewn, can be brought 
about by the manipulation of certain colours, and 
by the employment of united sound. In this way 
terrific effects will be achieved. Colour can des- 



COLOUR 247 

troy just as it can heal; sound can disrupt just 
as it can bring about cohesion; in these two 
thoughts lie hid the next step ahead for the science 
of the immediate future. The laws of vibration 
are going to be widely studied and comprehended 
and the use of this knowledge of vibration on the 
physical planes will bring about many interesting 
developments. They will be partially an out- 
growth of the study of the war and its effect, 
psychological and otherwise. More was effected 
by the sound of the great guns, for instance, than 
by the impact of the projectile on the physical 
plane. These effects are as yet practically un- 
recognised, and are largely etheric and astral. 
6. Music will be largely employed in construction, 
and in 100 years from now it will be a feature in 
certain work of a constructive nature. This 
sounds to you utterly impossible, but it will sim- 
ply be the utilisation of ordered sound to achieve 
certain ends. 
You will ask, what place has all this in a series of 
letters on meditation? Simply this : — that the method 
employed in the utilisation of colour and sound in healing, 
in promoting spiritual growth, and in exoteric construc- 
tion on the physical plane, will be based on the laws that 
govern the mental body, and will be forms of meditation. 
Only as the race develops the dynamic powers and attri- 
butes of thought — which powers are the product of medita- 
tion, rightly pursued — will the capacity to make use of 
the laws of vibration be objectively possible. Think not 
that only the religious devotee or mystic, or the man im- 
bued with what we call higher teaching, is the exponent 
of the powers attained by meditation. All great capital- 
ists, and the supreme heads of finance, or organised busi- 



248 COLOUR 

ness, are the exponents of similar powers. They are per- 
sonifications of one-pointed adherence to one line of 
thought, and their evolution parallels that of the mystic 
and the occultist. I seek most strongly to emphasise this 
fact. They are the ones tvho meditate along the line of 
the Mahachohan, or the Lord of Civilisation or Culture. 
Supreme concentrated attention to the matter in hand 
makes them what they are, and in many respects they 
attain greater results than many a student of meditation. 
All they need to do is to transmute the motive underlying 
their work, and their achievement will then outrun that 
of other students. They will approach a point of syn- 
thesis, and the Probationary Path will then be trodden. 

The Law of Vibration will gradually therefore be 
more and more understood, and be seen to govern action in 
all the three departments of the Manu, the World-Teacher 
and the Mahachohan. It will find its basic expression and 
its familiar terminology in those of colour and sound. 
Emotional disorder will be regarded as discordant sound; 
mental lethargy will be expressed in terms of low vibra- 
tion, and physical disease will be numerically considered. 
All constructive work will eventually be expressed in 
terms of numbers, by colours, and through sound. 

This suffices on this matter and at this juncture I 
have nought further to communicate. The subject is ab- 
struse and difficult, and only by patient brooding will the 
darkness lighten. Only when the ray of the intuition 
strikes athwart the pall of darkness (which pall is the 
ignorance that hides all knowledge) will the forms that 
veil the subjective life be irradiated and known. Only 
when the light of reason is dimmed by the radiant sun of 
wisdom will all things be seen in their just proportions, 
and will the forms assume their exact colours, and their 
numerical vibration be known. 



LETTER VIII. 
ACCESS TO THE MASTERS VIA MEDITATION 

1. Who are the Masters. 

2. What access to a Master entails : — 

a. From the standpoint of the pupil. 

b. From the standpoint of the Master. 

3. Methods of approach to the Master in medita- 
tion. 

4. The effect of this access on the three planes. 



249 



SOLAR /WD FLflti£T/?/?Y ///EF?#/?C^1ES 



SOLfifilOGOS 




'This diagram is an outline of a portion of the Hierarchy at the 
present moment, and gives only the outstanding Figures, in 
connection with human evolution. A similar diagram from the 
standpoint of the deva evolution would be differently arranged." 
(The connecting links indicate force currents) 



250 



KEY TO DIAGRAM OF SOLAR AND PLANETARY HIERARCHIES 

THE SOLAR HIERARCHY 

The Solar Logos. 

I . 
The Solar Trinity or Logoi 

I The Father Will. 

II The Son Love-wisdom. 

Ill The Holy Spirit Active Intelligence. 

I 

The Seven Rays 

Three Rays of Aspect. 

Four Rays of Attribute. 

1. Will or Power II. Love- wisdom. .. .III. Active Intelligence 

I 

4. Harmony or Beauty. 

5. Concrete Knowledge. 

6. Devotion or Idealism. 
7. Ceremonial magic. 



THE PLANETARY HIERARCHY 

S. Sanat Kumara, the Lord of the World. 

(The Ancient of Days. 

The One Initiator). 

The Three Kumaras. 

(The Buddhas of Activity.) 

12 3 

The reflections of the 3 major and 4 minor Rays. 
The 3 Departmental Heads. 



1. The Will Aspect II. The Love-wisdom 

Aspect. 



A. The Manu. 
I 
) 
1 

b. Master Jupiter. 

I 

c. Master M — . 



B. The Boddhisattva. 
(The Christ. 
The World Teacher.) 

I 

b. A European Master. 

I 

c. Master K.H. 

I 

d. Master D.K. 



1 
Four grades of initiates. 

Various grades of disciples. 



People on the Probationary Path. 



III. Intelligence Aspect. 

C. The Mahachohan. 
(Lord of Civilisation) 



c. The Venetian Master. 
I 

4. The Master Serapis. 

5. Master Hilarion. 

6. Master Jesus. 

7. Master R— . 



Average humanity of all degrees. 
251 



LETTER VIII. 
ACCESS TO THE MASTERS VIA MEDITATION 



September 12th, 1920. 



The search for the goal. 



Today it may be possible to touch somewhat upon the 
subject of the Masters and how They may be approached 
through meditation. This I know is a subject close and 
dear to your heart, as it is to the heart of all those who 
earnestly follow the light within. I seek to handle this 
subject with you in such a way that at the close of this 
letter the Masters will be more real to you than ever 
before ; the significance of approach to Them be better com- 
prehended and the method more simplified; and the effect 
of contact with Them will be so demonstrated in the life 
that its immediate and practical attainment will be earn- 
estly pursued. Let us, therefore, as we have always done, 
divide our subject into certain heads and divisions : — 

1. Who are the Masters? 

2. What does access to Them entail? 

a. From the standpoint of the pupil. 

b. From the standpoint of the Master. 

3. Methods of approach to the Masters through 
meditation. 

4. The effect of this access on the three planes. 

Everywhere throughout the whole world is felt the 
urge that drives a man to seek out someone, who, for him, 
embodies the ideal. Even those who do not admit the 
existence of the Masters seek some ideal, and then visual- 
ise that ideal as embodied in some form on the physical 
plane. They picture themselves, perhaps, as the exponents 

252 



THE MASTERS 253 

of ideal action, or visualise some great philanthropist, 
some superlative scientist, some notable artist or musician, 
as embodying their supreme conception. The human 
being, — simply because he is himself fragmentary and in- 
complete — has always this urge within himself to seek 
other and greater than himself. It is this that drives him 
back to the centre of his being, and it is this that forces him 
to take the path of return to the All-Self. Ever, through- 
out the aeons, does the Prodigal Son arise and go to his 
Father, and always latent within him is the memory of the 
Father's home and the glory there to be found. But the 
human mind is so constituted that the search for light and 
for the ideal is necessarily long and difficult. "Now we 
see through a glass darkly, but then face to face" ; now we 
catch glimpses through the occasional windows we pass 
in our ascension of the ladder, of other and greater Beings 
than ourselves; They hold out to us helping hands, and 
call to us in clarion tones to struggle bravely on if we hope 
to stand where They are now standing. 

We sense beauties and glories surrounding us that as 
yet we cannot revel in; they flit into our vision, and we 
touch the glory at a lofty moment only again to lose the 
contact and to sink back again into the murky gloom that 
envelopes. But we know that outside and further on is 
something to be desired; we learn also the mystery that 
that external wonder can only be contacted by withdraw- 
ing within, till the centre of consciousness 4s -£eu«d -that 
vibrates in tune with those dimly realised wonders, and 
with those radiant Souls Who call Themselves our Elder 
Brothers. Only by trampling on the external sheaths that 
veil and hide the inner centre do we achieve the goal, and 
find the Ones we seek. Only by the domination of all forms, 
and the bringing of those forms under the rule of the God 
within, can we find the God in all, for it is only the 



254 THE MASTERS 

sheaths in which we move upon the plane of being that 
hide from us our inner God, and that shut us off from 
Those in Whom the God transcends all outer forms. 

The great Initiate, Who voiced the words I quote, 
added still other words of radiant truth : "Then shall we 
know even as we are known". The future holds for each 
and all who duly strive, who unselfishly serve and occultly 
meditate, the promise of knowing Those Who already have 
full knowledge of the struggler. Therein lies the hope for 
the student of meditation; as he struggles, as he fails, as 
he perseveres, and as he laboriously reiterates from day to 
day the arduous task of concentration and of mind control, 
there stand on the inner side Those Who know him, and 
Who watch with eager sympathy the progress that he 
makes. 

Forget not the earlier part of the Initiate's remarks 
where he points out the way whereby the darkness is dis- 
pelled, and knowledge of the Great Ones is reached. He 
emphasises that only by love is the path of light and 
knowledge trodden. Why this emphasis upon love? Be- 
cause the goal for all is love, and therein lies the merging. 
To put scientifically what is oft a nebulous sentiment, we 
might express it as follows : — It is by the attainment of 
the vibration which is analogous to the Ray of Love- Wis- 
dom (the Divine Ray) that the Lords of Love are con- 
tacted, that the Masters of Compassion are known, and 
that the possibility of entering into the consciousnesses of 
the Great Ones and of all our brothers of whatsoever de- 
gree, becomes a fact in manifestation. 

This is the path to be trodden by one and all, and the 
method is meditation. The goal is perfect love and wis- 
dom; the steps are the surmounting of sub-plane after 
sub-plane on all the three planes; the method is that of 



THE MASTERS 255 

occult meditation; the reward is the continuous expan- 
sion of consciousness that puts a man eventually en rap- 
port with his own Ego, with other selves, with the waiting 
eager Master to Whom he is assigned, with fellow disciples 
and more advanced Initiates whom he may contact in 
that Master's aura, till he finally contacts the One Initia- 
tor, is admitted into the Secret Place, and knows the 
mystery that underlies consciousness itself. 



September 14th, 1920. 

Who arc the Masters? 

It might be of value to us in our consideration of the 
subject of access to the Masters via meditation if we 
started with a few fundamental statements, dealing with 
the Masters and Their place in evolution. We will there- 
fore take up our first point. We shall thus bring before 
the readers of these letters some idea as to Their status, 
Their comprehensive development, and Their methods of 
work. Xeedless to say, much that will follow will carry 
nothing new in import. The things that concern us most 
closely and the things that are to us the most familiar are 
oft the most frequently overlooked, and the most nebulous 
to our reasoning faculty. 

A Master of the Wisdom is One Who has under- 
gone the fifth initiation. That really means that His con- 
sciousness has undergone such an expansion that it now 
includes the fifth or spiritual kingdom. He has worked 
His way through the four lower kingdoms : — the mineral, 
the vegetable, the animal and the human — and has, 
through meditation and service, expanded His centre of 
consciousness till it now includes the plane of spirit. 



256 THE MASTERS 

A Master of the Wisdom is One Who has effected 
the transfer of polarisation from the three atoms of the 
personal life — as included in the causal body — into the 
three atoms of the Spiritual Triad. He is consciously 
spirit-intuition-abstract mind, or atma-buddhi-manas, and 
this not potentially but in full effective power, realised 
through experience. This has been brought about, as 
earlier said, through the process of meditation. 

A Master of the Wisdom is One Who has found 
not only the chord of the Ego, but the full chord of the 
Monad, and can ring the changes therefore at will upon all 
the notes from the lowest to that of the monadic. This 
means occultly that He has now developed the creative 
faculty, and can sound the note for each plane and build 
thereon. This power — first to discover the notes of the 
monadic chord and secondly to use those notes in con- 
structive building — is first realised through meditation 
occultly performed, balanced by service lovingly adminis- 
tered. 

A Master of the Wisdom is He Who can wield 
the law in the three worlds and can dominate all that 
evolves on those planes. By learning the laws of mind 
through the practice of meditation, He expands the laws of 
mind till they embrace the laws of the Universal Mind as 
demonstrated in lower manifestation. The Laws of Mind 
are mastered in meditation. They are applied in the life 
of service which is the logical outcome of true knowledge. 

A Master of the Wisdom is He Who has passed 
out of the Hall of Learning into the Hall of Wisdom. He 
has there graduated through its five grades and has trans- 
muted lower mind into mind pure and unalloyed, has 
transmuted desire into intuition, and has irradiated His 
consciousness with the light of pure Spirit. The dis- 



THE MASTERS 257 

cipline of meditation is the only way in which this can be 
accomplished. 

A Master of the Wisdom is He Who, through 
knowledge acquired by means of the five senses, has learnt 
that synthesis exists, and has merged those five senses into 
the synthetic two, that mark the point of attainment in 
the solar system. Through meditation the geometrical 
sense of proportion is adjusted, the sense of values is 
clearly recognised, and through that adjustment and re- 
cognition, illusion is dispelled and reality is known. The 
practice of meditation and the inner concentration there 
brought about awakens the consciousness to the value and 
true use of form. Thereby reality is contacted and the 
three worlds can no more ensnare. 

A Master of the Wisdom is He Who knows the 
meaning of consciousness, of life, and of spirit. He can 
pass — by the line of least resistance — straight to the 
"bosom of His Father in Heaven". The approach to the 
line of least resistance, the direct path, is found through 
the practice of meditation. 

A Master of the Wisdom is He Who has resolved 
Himself from the five into the three, and from the three 
into the two. He has become the five-pointed star, and 
when that moment is reached He sees that star flash out 
above the One Initiator, and recognises it in those of equal 
place to His. He has sanctified (in the occult sense) the 
Quarternary, has used it as the foundation stone upon 
which to erect the Temple of Solomon. He has grown 
beyond that Temple itself and has come to recognise it as 
limitation. He has withdrawn Himself from its confining 
walls and has entered within the Triad. He has done this 
always by the occult method, that is, consciously and with 
full knowledge of each step taken. He learns the meaning 



258 THE MASTERS 

of each confining form ; then, He has assumed control and 
wielded the law upon the plane consistent with the form. 
He has then out-grown the form and has discarded it for 
other and higher forms. Thus He has progressed always 
by means of the sacrifice and death of the form. Always 
it is recognised as imprisoning; always it must be sacri- 
ficed and must die so that the life within may speed ever 
on and up. The path of resurrection pre-supposes cruci- 
fixion and death, and then leads to the Mount whence 
Ascension may be made. In meditation the value of the 
life, and the confines of the form, can be appreciated and 
known, and by knowledge and service can the life be set 
free from all that limits and trammels. 

A Master of the Wisdom is One Who has chosen 
to stay upon our planet to help His f ellow-men . . . . All 
Who attain the fifth Initiation are Masters of the Wisdom, 
but all stay not and work as servers of the race. They 
pass to other work of greater or equal importance. To 
the general public the significance of the term lies in the 
thought that They choose to stay and limit Themselves 
for the sake of men who are pressing forward on the wave 
of evolution. Through meditation has the Great One 
reached His goal and (which is a thing not so oft compre- 
hended) through meditation, or the manipulation of 
thought matter, and by work on the mental bodies of the 
race, is the work carried on that aids the evolutionary 
process. 

A Master of the Wisdom is He Who has taken the 
first initiation that links Him up with the greater Brother- 
hood on Sirius. As afore I have told you, He is an Initiate 
of the 1st Degree in the greater Lodge. He has attained 
an expansion of consciousness that has admitted Him into 
touch with the solar system in many of its departments. 
Now He has ahead of Him a vast reach of expansions that 



THE MASTERS 259 

will eventually take Him beyond systemic consciousness 
into something far greater and wider. He has to begin to 
learn the rudiments of that cosmic meditation that will 
admit Him into a Consciousness past our conceivable sur- 
mise. 

A Master of the Wisdom is He Who can consciously 
function as part of the Heavenly Man to Whose Body He 
may belong. He understands the laws governing groups 
and group souls. He governs a group soul consciously 
Himself (a group on the path of return and formed of the 
lives of many sons of men) and He knows His place in 
the body systemic. He realises the centre in the Body of 
the Heavenly Man by means of which He and His group 
are kept in sympathetic vibration, and conducts His rela- 
tionship with other groups in the same Body under certain 
definite laws. The value of meditation as a preparation 
for this activity will be realised by all thoughtful students, 
for meditation is the one means whereby the sense of separ- 
ateness is transcended, and unity with one's kind occultly 
comprehended. 

A Master of the Wisdom is He Who has entrusted 
to Him, by virtue of work accomplished, certain Words 
of Power. By means of these Words He wields the law 
over other evolutions than the human, and through them 
He co-operates with the activity aspect of the Logos. Thus 
He blends His consciousness with that of the third Logos. 
Through these Words He assists with the building work, 
and the cohesive manipulating endeavor of the second 
Logos, and comprehends the inner working of the law of 
gravitation (or attraction and repulsion) that governs 
all the functions of the second aspect Logoic. Through 
these Words He co-operates with the work of the first 
Logos, and learns, as He takes the sixth and seventh 



260 THE MASTEKS 

Initiations (which is not always done) the meaning of 
Will as applied in the system. These Words are im- 
parted orally, and through clairvoyant faculty, but must 
be found by the initiate Himself, by the use of atma, and 
as He attains atmic consciousness .... When atmic con- 
sciousness is developing by means of the intuition, the 
Initiate can contact the stores of knowledge inherent in 
the Monad, and thus learn the Words of Power. This 
ability comes only after the application of the Eod of 
Initiation as wielded by the Lord of the World. There- 
fore by the higher stages of occult meditation does a 
Master of the Wisdom increase still further His know- 
ledge. Not static is His consciousness, but daily embrac- 
ing more. Daily does He apply Himself to further expan- 
sion. 

A Master of the Wisdom is One Who has earned 
the right through similarity of vibration to work with the 
Heads of the Hierarchy of this planet, and in conjunction 
with analogous Heads on two other planets connected with 
our chain. When He has taken other initiations He can 
contact and work in conjunction with all the seven Planet- 
ary Logoi, and not just the three in control of allied 
chains. The whole system can be embraced by Him, and 
His consciousness has expanded to include the entire ob- 
jective solar system. 

I could enumerate still other definitions, and further 
elucidate the matter for you, but that imparted today 
suffices. The point reached by a Master is high, but only 
relatively so, and you must not forget that when attained 
by Him it seems low indeed, for He measures it up with 
the vista expanding before Him. Each expansion of con- 
sciousness, each step upon the ladder, but opens before the 
Initiate another sphere to be embraced, and another step 
ahead to be taken; each initiation achieved but reveals 



THE MASTEKS 261 

still higher ones to be mastered, and never comes the point 
when the aspirant (be he an average man, an initiate, a 
Master, a Chohan, or a Bnddha) can remain in a condition 
static, and is incapable of further progress. Even the 
Logos Himself aspires, and even the One to Whom He 
aspires reaches up to a Greater. 

What happens in the system transpires likewise on 
cosmic levels, and what is mastered here must be repeated 
on a vaster scale in the cosmos itself. In this thought 
lies inspiration and development and not despair or weari- 
ness. The reward that comes with each step forward, the 
delight that lies in increased comprehension, rewards the 
struggling aspirant in adequate fashion .... Tomorrow we 
will deal with the more practical side, that of the man 
who aims at this high calling. 

September 16th, 1920. 
What access to the Master entails. 

We deal today with the second point in our eighth 
letter, and we have to look at the subject in two ways, 
from the standpoint briefly of the Master, and rather 
lengthily from the viewpoint of the pupil. 

We have in these letters given a broad outline of the 
magnitude of the task that lies ahead of the man who 
proposes to attain. Much that has been written has no 
interest for the man who is only of average development, 
but chiefly concerns the man who has reached a specific 
point in evolution, and stands upon the Path of Probation. 
Much that might be said upon this matter has been cov- 
ered in that earlier series I communicated to you. I seek 
not to cover the same ground here, but to deal more 
specifically with the internal relationship which exists be- 
tween Master and pupil. 



262 THE MASTERS 

That relationship exists in four grades, in each of 
which a man progresses nearer to his Master. These four 
grades are as follows and cover the period wherein the man 
is under training until the time when he himself becomes 
an adept. 

They are: — 

a. The period wherein he is on probation. 

b. The period wherein he is an accepted disciple. 

c. The period wherein he is regarded as the Master's 
intimate, or — as it is esofcerically termed — the 
"Son of the Master." 

d. The period wherein the final three initiations are 
taken, and he knows himself as one with the 
Master. He ranks then as the "Beloved of the 
Master", — a position analogous to that which 
John, the beloved disciple, held in the Bible story. 

All these stages are governed by two things: — 

a. Similarity of vibration. 

b. Karma, 

and all are involved in the ability of the man to develop 
group consciousness. 

On the planes of the higher mind, on the second sub- 
plane you have a reflection of what can be seen on the 
highest planes of our solar system. What have you there? 
The seven Heavenly Men are there to be found, each of 
Whom is composed (from the standpoint of form) of 
group souls, — those group souls being made up of the indi- 
vidual human and angel units of consciousness. On the 
second subplanes of the mental plane you have the groups 
belonging to the Masters, if so I may express it. These 
groups are animated and vitalised from the atomic sub- 
plane where the Masters (when manifesting for the help- 
ing of the sons of men) have Their habitat, just as the 



THE MASTERS 263 

Heavenly Men have Their originating source and the 
cause of Their life on the atomic plane of the solar system, 
that which we call the plane of adi, or the first plane. 
These groups are formed around a Master, are enclosed 
within His aura, and are a part of His consciousness. 
They include people whose egoic ray is the same as His, 
or whose monadic ray is the same. This means therefore 
that two types of people are concerned: — 

1. Those who are preparing for the first and second 
initiations, which are taken upon the ray of the 
Ego, and 

2. Those who are preparing for the two next initia- 
tions, which are taken upon the ray of the Monad. 
You have here a cause of the transference of people 
from one ray to another. It is only an apparent 
transference, even though it entails passing into 
the group of a different Master. This takes place 
after the second initiation. 

A Probationers three objects. 

During the period wherein a man is under probation, 
he is supposed to be developing three things: — 

1. The ability to contact his group, or in other 
words, to be sensible of the vibration of the group of 
which some particular Master is the focal point. He con- 
tacts it at times and at rare intervals at first. During 
the early part of his probation, whilst he is under observa- 
tion, he can only sense and hold the group vibration 
(which is the Master's vibration) for a very brief interval. 
He will at some high moment link up with the Master and 
with the group, and his whole being will be flooded with 
that high vibration, and surge upward in an outburst of 
his group colour. Then he will relax, drop back and lose 
the contact. His bodies are not refined enough and his 
vibration is too unstable to hold it long. 



264 THE MASTERS 

But, as time progresses ( and it is longer or shorter ac- 
cording to the earnestness of the pupil) the frequency of 
the times of contact increases; he can hold the vibration 
somewhat longer, and does not relax back to normal with 
so much ease. Then the time comes when he can be trusted 
to hold the contact fairly stably. He passes then to the 
second stage. 

2. The second thing he is supposed to be developing 
on the probationary path is the faculty of abstract thought, 
or the power to link up with the higher mind, via the 
causal body. He must learn to contact the lower mind 
simply as an instrument whereby he can reach the higher, 
and thus to transcend it, until he becomes polarised in the 
causal body. Then, through the medium of the causal 
body, he links up with the abstract levels. Until he can 
do this he cannot really contact the Master, for, as you 
have been told, the pupil has to raise himself from his 
world (the lower) into Their world (the higher). 

Now both these things — the power to touch the Master 
and the Master's group, and the power to polarise himself 
in the causal body and touch the abstract levels — are de- 
finitely the result of meditation, and the earlier letters 
you have received from me will have made this clear. 
There is therefore no need to recapitulate the earlier im- 
parted data, save to point out that by strenuous medita- 
tion, and the faculty of one-pointed application to the 
duty in hand (which is after all the fruit of meditation 
worked out in daily living) will come the increased facul- 
ty to hold steadily the higher vibration. Again and again 
would I re-iterate the apparently simple truth, that only 
similarity of vibration will draw a man to the higher 
group to which he may belong, to the Master Who repre- 
sents to him the Lord of His Eay, to the World Teacher 
Who administers to him the mysteries, to the One Initiator 



THE MASTERS 265 

Who effects the final liberation, and to the centre within 
the Heavenly Man in Whose Body he finds a place. It is the 
working out of the Law of Attraction and Repulsion on 
on all the planes that gathers the life divine out of 
the mineral kingdom, out of the vegetable and animal 
kingdoms, that draws the latent Deity from out of the 
limitations of the human kingdom, and affiliates the man 
with his divine group. The same law effects his liberation 
from subtler forms that likewise bind, and blends him 
back into his animating source, the Lord of the Ray in 
Whose Body his Monad may be found. Therefore the 
work of the probationer is to attune his vibration to that 
of his Master, to purify his three lower bodies so that 
they form no hindrance to that contact, and so to dominate 
his lower mind that it is no longer a barrier to the down- 
flow of light from the three-fold Spirit. Thus he is per- 
mitted to touch that Triad and the group on the sub-plane 
of the higher mental to which he — by right and karma — 
belongs. All this is brought about by meditation, and 
there is no other means for achieving these aims. 

3. The third thing the probationer has to do is to 
equip himself emotionally and mentally, and to realise and 
prove that he has somewhat to impart to the group with 
which he is esoterically affiliated. Think upon this: too 
much emphasis is laid at times upon that which the pupil 
will get when he becomes an accepted disciple or proba- 
tioner. I tell you here in all earnestness, that he will not 
take these desired steps until he has somewhat to give, and 
something to add that will increase the beauty of the 
group, that will add to the available equipment that the 
Master seeks for the helping of the race, and that will in- 
crease the richness of the group colouring. This can be 
brought about in two ways that mutually interact : — 

1. By the definite equipping, through study and ap- 



266 THE MASTEKS 

plication, of the content of the emotional and 
mental bodies. 

2. By the utilisation of that equipment in service to 
the race on the physical plane, thereby demon- 
strating to the eyes of the watching Hierarchy 
that the pupil has somewhat to give. He must 
show that his one desire is to be a benefactor and 
to serve, rather than to grasp and acquire for 
himself. This life of acquisition for the purposes 
of giving must have for incentive the ideals 
touched in meditation, and for inspiration those 
downpourings from the higher mental levels and 
from the buddhic levels which are the result of 
occult meditation. 

When these three results are brought about, and when 
the high vibration touched is more frequent and stable, 
then the probationer takes the next step forward and be- 
comes an accepted disciple. 

Accepted Biscipleship. 

The second period wherein a man is an accepted dis- 
ciple is perhaps one of the most difficult in a man's whole 
period of lives. It is made so in several ways : — 

He is definitely a part of the Master's group, and 
is within the consciousness of the Master at all times, be- 
ing kept within His aura. This involves the steady hold- 
ing of a high vibration. I would have you ponder on what 
the effect of this would be. To hold this vibration is at all 
times a difficult thing to do; it frequently involves an in- 
tensification of all that subsists within a man's nature, and 
may lead (especially at first) to curious demonstration. 
Yet, if ever a man is to be able to hold the force that is the 
result of the application of the Eod of Initiation, he has 



THE MASTERS 267 

to demonstrate his ability to do so at an earlier stage, and 
be able to hold himself stably and to move steadily for- 
ward when subjected to the intensification of vibration 
that comes from the Master. 

He has to discipline himself so that nothing can 
enter into his consciousness that could in any way harm 
the group to which he belongs, or be antagonistic to the 
Master's vibration. If I might so express it so as to give you 
some conception of my meaning, when he first forms part 
of the group enclosed in the Master's aura, he is kept on 
the periphery of that aura until he has learnt to throw 
off automatically, and to reject immediately, every thought 
and desire unworthy of the Self and thus harmful to the 
group. Until he has learnt to do this he cannot advance 
into a closer relationship, but must remain where he can 
be automatically shut off. But gradually he purifies him- 
self still more, gradually he develops group consciousness 
and thinks in group terms of service, gradually his aura 
takes on more and more the colouring of his Master's 
aura, till he blends and has earned the right to be gathered 
closer to his Master's Heart. Later I will explain the 
technical meaning of this phrase when dealing with the 
work of the Master with the pupil. Suffice it to say, that 
as the term of "accepted disciple" progresses (and it 
varies in different cases) the disciple advances ever closer 
to the heart of the group, and finds his own place and 
functional activity in that body corporate. That is the 
secret : the finding of one's place, — not so much one's place 
upon the ladder of evolution (for that is approximately 
known) but in service. This is of more importance than 
is realised, for it covers the period which, at the end, will 
definitely demonstrate which path a man will follow after 
the fifth initiation. 



268 THE MASTERS 

tionship to the Master. 

We now come to the time when the disciple moves on 
to the much coveted position of a "Son of the Master." He 
is then a part consciously and at all times of the Master's 
consciousness. The interplay between the Master and dis- 
ciple is being rapidly perfected, and the disciple can now 
consciously and at will link up with the Master and as- 
certain His thoughts. He can enter into His plans, de- 
sires and will. This he has won by the right of similarity 
of vibration, and because the shutting off process (neces- 
sitated earlier by discordant vibration) is practically 
superseded; the disciple has so purified himself that his 
thoughts and desires cause no disquietude to the Master, 
and no contrary vibration to the group. He has been tried 
and not been found wanting. His life of service in the 
world is more concentrated and perfected, and he is daily 
developing his power to give, and increasing his equip- 
ment. All this concerns his relationship to some Master 
and to some one group soul. It is not dependent upon his 
taking initiation. Initiation is a technical matter and can 
be expressed in terms of esoteric science. A man can take 
initiation and yet not be a "son of a Master." Disciple- 
ship is a personal relationship, governed by terms of kar- 
ma and affiliation, and is not dependent upon a man's 
status in the Lodge. Keep this clear in your mind. Cases 
have been known when a man has acquired — through dili- 
gence — the technical requisites for initiation before be- 
coming affiliated with any particular Master. 

This later relationship of "son" to some Master has 
a peculiar sweetness all its own, and carries with it cer- 
tain privileges. The disciple can then lift some of the bur- 
den off his Master's shoulders, and relieve Him of some 
of His responsibilities thereby setting Him free for more 
extended work. Hence the emphasis laid on service, for it 



THE MASTERS 269 

is only as a man serves that he advances. It is the keynote 
of the vibration of the second abstract level. The Master 
at this period will confer with His "Son" and plan the 
work to be done npon their united point of view. In this 
way He will develop His pupil's discrimination and judg- 
ment, and lighten His own load along certain lines, thus 
setting Himself free for other important work. 

The final period of those under discussion can have 
but little submitted about it. It covers the period when 
a man is mastering the final stages of the Path and is en- 
tering into closer and closer touch with his group and with 
the Hierarchy. He is not only vibrating in tune with his 
group and with his Master, but is beginning now to gather 
out his own people, and form a group himself. This group 
will be at first only on emotional and physical levels and 
on the lower mental. After the fifth initiation he will en- 
close within his aura these groups and those on egoic levels 
who are his own. This in no way prevents his being one 
with his Master and group, but the method of inter-blend- 
ing is one of the secrets of initiation. 

All this, coupled with what has been earlier imparted, 
will give you some idea of the rights and powers acquired 
on the probationary Path and on the Path of Initiation. 
The means of development are ever the same: — occult 
meditation and service ; the inner life of concentration and 
the outer life of practice; the inner ability to contact the 
higher, and the outer ability to express that faculty in 
terms of holy living ; the inner irradiation from the Spirit, 
and the outer shining before men. 

September 17th, 1920. 

The subject that we have for the past few days 

been studying, though not so technical as some of the 



270 THE MASTEKS 

earlier imparted data, yet carries with it a vibration that 
will make this eighth letter one of those with the most 
potent appeals in the series. We have dealt with the facts 
as to the Masters and Who They are, and Their place in 
the scheme of things, and we have touched briefly upon 
what access to a Master entails from the standpoint of a 
pupil. We have seen that that access is a gradual process 
and carries a man, from an occasional outer contact with 
a Master and His group to a position of the closest in- 
timacy, and to an attitude that places the pupil within 
the aura and close to the heart of his Teacher. Today 
we will consider for a little what this gradual changing 
of position has entailed on the part of the Master and 
what it has necessitated on His side. 
The relationship of Master and pupil. 

As you have frequently been told, the attention of a 
Master is attracted to a man by the brilliance of the in- 
dwelling light. When that light has reached a certain 
intensity, when the bodies are composed of a certain grade 
of matter, when the aura has attained a certain hue and 
when the vibration has reached a specific rate and measure, 
and when a man's life commences to sound occultly in the 
three worlds (which sound is to be heard through the life 
of service) some one particular Master begins to test him 
out by the application of some higher vibration, and by 
the study of his re-action to that vibration. The choice of 
a pupil by a Master is governed by past karma and by old 
association, by the ray on which they both may be found, 
and by the need of the hour. The Master's work ( as much 
of it as may wisely be made exoteric) is varied and inter- 
esting, and is based on a scientific comprehension of human 
nature. What is it that a Master has to do with a pupil? 
By enumerating the chief things to be done we may get 
some idea of the scope of His work: — 



THE MASTERS 271 

He has to accustom the pupil to raise his rate of 
vibration till he can continuously carry a high one, and 
then assist him until that high vibration becomes the 
stable measure of the pupil's bodies. 

He has to assist the pupil to effect the transfer of 
polarisation from the lower three atoms of the Personality 
to the higher ones of the Spiritual Triad. 

He has to watch over the work accomplished by 
the pupil whilst making the channel between higher and 
lower mind, whilst he builds and employs this channel 
(the antakarana). This channel eventually supersedes 
the causal body as a means of communication between 
the higher and the lower. The causal body is itself eventu- 
ally done away with when the pupil takes the fourth initia- 
tion and can freely create his own body of manifestation. 

He definitely assists at the vivification of the 
various centres and their correct awakening, and He later 
aids the pupil to consciously work through those centres, 
and to carry the circulating fire in right geometrical 
progression from the base of the spine to the head centre. 

He superintends the work of the pupil on different 
planes and makes records of the extent of the work ac- 
complished, and the far-reaching effect of the spoken word, 
as enunciated by the pupil. This is (putting it occultly) 
the effect on the inner planes of the note of the pupil's 
exoteric life. 

He enlarges the consciousness of the pupil in vari- 
ous ways, and develops his capacity to include and contact 
other rates of vibration than the human, to understand 
the consciousness of other evolutions than the human, and 
move with facility in other spheres than the earth sphere. 

His immediate goal in working with the pupil is 
to prepare him for the first initiation. This takes place 



272 THE MASTEES 

when the capacity of the pupil to hold a certain rate of 
vibration for a specific length of time is developed, the 
length of time being that wherein he must stand before the 
Lord of the first two initiations. This is accomplished by 
a gradual raising of the vibration at few and stated in- 
tervals, and later more frequently until the pupil can 
vibrate with greater ease and comfort to the vibration of 
his Master, and can hold the vibration for an ever increas- 
ing length of time. When he can hold it for this period 
(the length of which is of course one of the secrets of the 
first initiation) he is subjected to the application of a 
still higher vibration which — when held — will enable him 
to stand before the Great Lord for a length of time suffi- 
cient to permit of the initiation ceremony. The applica- 
tion then of the Kod of Initiation effects something that 
stabilises vibration, and makes it easier to progress in the 
task of vibrating to the higher measure of the subtler 
planes. 

He develops the capacity of the pupil to work in 
group formation. He studies his action and interaction 
on his own affiliated group. He works with the pupil's 
causal body and its expansion and development, and 
teaches the pupil to understand the law of his own being 
and through that understanding brings him to a compre- 
hension of the macrocosm. 

Now all these various aspects of the Master's work 
(and these are but a few of the points which might be 
considered) might be dealt with at length and would prove 
of illuminating interest to the reader. All the above para- 
graphs could be extended and prove of exceeding inter- 
est. But the main point I seek to make here is in connec- 
tion with the earlier stages of this work, before the pupil 
is admitted into the later stages of close intimacy with 



THE MASTERS 273 

Ms Master. The Master during this period works with 
his disciple principally: — 

a. At night, when he is out of the physical body. 

b. During the periods when the disciple is medi- 
tating. 

According to the success of the meditation, according to 
the ability of the student to shut off the lower and con- 
tact the higher, so will come the opportunity of the Master 
to accomplish successfully the scientific definite work that 
needs His attention. Students of meditation would be 
astounded and perhaps discouraged, could they realise how 
seldom they provide the right conditions through medi- 
tation which will enable their watching Teacher to bring 
about certain effects. By the frequency of the student's 
ability to do this comes indication of progress, and the 
possibility of carrying him on another step. Emphasise 
this point in teaching for it carries with it an incentive to 
greater diligence and application. If the pupil himself 
on his side provides not the just conditions the Master's 
hands are tied and He can do but little. Self -effort is the 
key to progress, coupled to conscious comprehending ap- 
plication to the ivork laid down. When that effort is made 
with perseverance, then comes the opportunity of the 
Master to carry out His side of the work. 

As the pupil meditates with occult accuracy he brings 
his three lower bodies into alignment and — with emphasis 
I re-iterate — only as alignment is effected is the Master 
able to work with the bodies of the pupil. If naught else 
is effected by the publication of these letters except the 
intensification of the desire to meditate with correctness, 
the object in view will be largely attained. In that effort 
the right conditions between pupil and Master, and a cor- 
rect inter-relation will be brought about. Meditation pro- 



274 THE MASTERS 

\ides these conditions, when rightly followed. It prepares 
the field for labour and for work. 

Let us briefly consider the various periods as enumer- 
ated yesterday when considering the pupil's relationship 
to a Master. 

In the period when the man is under probation 

and supervision he is left almost entirely to himself 

and is only conscious of the attention of the Master at 
rare and irregular intervals. His physical brain is not 
often receptive to the higher contact, and though his Ego 
is fully aware of his position on the Path, not yet is the 
physical brain in a condition to know. But on this point 
no hard and fast rule can be laid down. When a man 
has been for several lives making contacts with his Ego 
or with his Master he may be aware of it. Individuals differ 
so much that no universal rule in detail can be formulated. 
As you know, the Master makes a small image of the pro- 
bationer, which image is stored in certain subterranean 
centres in the Himalayas. The image is magnetically 
linked with the probationer, and shews all the fluctuations 
of his nature. Being composed of emotional and mental 
matter it pulsates with every vibration of those bodies. 
It shews their predominating hues, and by studying it 
the Master can rapidly gauge the progress made and judge 
when the probationer may be admitted into a closer rela- 
tionship. The Master views the image at stated intervals, 
rarely at first as the progress made in the beginning stages 
is not so rapid, but with ever increasing frequency as 
the student of meditation comprehends more readily and 
more consciously co-operates. The Master when inspect- 
ing the images works with them, and through their means 
effects certain results. Just as later the Rod of Initiation 
is applied to the bodies and centres of the initiate, so at 



THE MASTERS 275 

certain times the Master applies certain contacts to the 
images and via them stimulates the bodies of the pupil. 

A time comes when the Master sees, from His inspec- 
tion of the image, that the needed rate of vibration can be 
held, that the required eliminations have been made, and 
a certain depth of colour attained. He can then take the 
risk (for risk it is) and admit the probationer within the 
periphery of His own aura. He becomes then an accepted 
disciple. 

During the period wherein a man is an accepted 
disciple the work done by the Master is of very real inter- 
est. The pupil is assigned to special classes conducted by 
more advanced disciples under the supervision of the Mas- 
ter, and though he may attend still the larger general 
classes in the Ashram (the Master's hall for teaching) he 

is subjected to a more intensified training The 

Master works in the earlier stages in four main ways : — 

a. At intervals, and when the progress of the pupil 
justifies it, He "gathers the pupil to His Heart''. 
This is an esoteric statement of a very interesting 
experience to which the pupil will be subjected. 
At the close of some class in the ashram, or dur- 
ing some specially successfully meditation where- 
in the pupil has reached a certain rate of vibra- 
tion, the Master will gather him close to Himself, 
bringing him from the periphery of His aura to 
the centre of His consciousness. He thereby gives 
him a tremendous temporary expansion of con- 
sciousness, and enables him to vibrate at an un- 
usual rate for him. 

Hence the need for meditation. The reward of 
such an experience far out-weighs any* of the 
strenuous parts of the work. 



276 THE MASTERS 

b. The Master works upon the bodies of his pupil 
with colour, and brings about results in those 
bodies that enable the pupil to make more rapid 

progress. Now you will see why so much 

emphasis is laid upon colour. It is not only be- 
cause it holds the secret of form and manifesta- 
tion (which secret must be known by the occult- 
ist) but the emphasis is laid thus in order that he 
may consciously co-operate in the work of the 
Master on his bodies, and intelligently follow the 
effects brought about. Ponder on this. 

c. At stated intervals the Master takes His pupils, 
and enables them to contact other evolutions, such 
as the great angels and devas, the lesser builders 
and the sub-human evolutions. This can be safe- 
ly done by the pupil through the protective effect 
of the Master's aura. Later, when himself an 
initiate, the pupil will be taught how to protect 
himself and to make his own contacts, 

d. The Master presides over the work of stimulating 
the centres in the pupil's bodies and the awaken- 
ing of the inner fire. He teaches the pupil the 
meaning of the centres and their correct fourth 
dimensional rotation and in time He will bring 
the pupil to a point where he can consciously and 
with full knowledge of the law work with his 
centres, and bring them to a point where they can 
be safely stimulated by the Rod of Initiation. 
More on this subject is not yet possible 

I have only touched in the briefest manner on a few 
of the things a Master has to do with His pupils. I take 
not up the later stages of the pupil's progress. We lead 
all on by gradual steps, and as yet even accepted disciples 
are rare. If by meditation, service, and the purifying of 



THE MASTERS 277 

the bodies, those now on probation can be led to make 
more rapid progress, then will come the time for the com- 
munication of further information. What use is it to give 
facts of which the student cannot as yet make use? We 
waste not time in interesting intellectually those we seek 
to help. When the pupil has equipped himself, when he 
has purified himself and is vibrating adequately, naught 
can withhold all knowledge from him. When he opens the 
door and widens the channel light and knowledge will 
pour in. 

Tomorrow we will take up our third point, methods of 
approach to a Master via meditaton; certain types of 
meditation will be slightly enlarged upon which will 
facilitate contact but forget not, that the life of objective 
service must keep pace with the subjective growth; only 
when the two are seen together and approved are the neces- 
sary steps for contact permitted. A Master is only inter- 
ested in a man from the point of view of his usefulness in 
the group soul, and his capacity to help. 

September 19th, 1920. 

We can today take up our last two points practically 
simultaneously. They deal with methods of approach to 
the Masters and the objective effects on the three planes of 
human evolution. Some of the points touched upon are 
already well-known. Others may not be so familiar to the 

general student In these letters we have dealt with 

the student himself and what he has to bring to the en- 
deavour; we have indicated likewise his goal and — very 
sketchily — the forms and methods whereby success may 
be achieved. We have dealt also with those aids to medi- 
tation, the Sacred Word, Colour and Sound, and have in- 
dicated that which (brooded upon in silence) may lead 



278 THE MASTERS 

to the student making some discoveries for himself. Last- 
ly we have tried to bring the Masters and Their reality 
nearer to the student, and thereby facilitate his approach 
to Them. 

What now remains to be done? To indicate five 
things that may be looked for with conviction by the 
student who has endeavoured to conform his life to the 
lines laid down by me in these letters. If the student but 
provides the right conditions, if he conforms to the neces- 
sary rules, if he aims always at regularity, at calmness, 
at that inner concentration that holds the mystery of the 
High Places, he will on certain occasions and with ever- 
increasing frequency awake to some definite realisations. 
These realisations will be the outer recognition of inner 
results, and will be the guarantee to him that he is on the 
right path. But I would here point out again that these 
results are only achieved after long practice, strenuous 
struggle, diligent disciplining of the three-fold lower man, 
and consecrated service to the world. 

Methods of approach and effects obtained. 

The methods of approach are broadly three and we 
might indicate five results that will eventuate from the 
employment of these methods. The three methods are: — 

1. Sanctified service. 

2. Intellectual application. 

3. Love demonstrating through wisdom. 

They are all three but diverse methods of expressing one 
and the same thing, — active one-pointedness that expresses 
itself in service for the race through love and wisdom. 
But some individuals express this in one way and some in 
another ; some carry the outer appearance of intellectuality 
and others of love, yet before the attainment is possible 
intellectuality must be based on love, whilst love without 



THE MASTERS 279 

mental development and that discrimination that mind 
affords is apt to be unbalanced and unwise. Both love 
and mind must be expressed in terms of service before the 
full flower of either is attained. Let us consider each of 
these methods separately and indicate the meditation to 
be followed thereon: — 

Sanctified Service. This is the method of the man 
who wields the law, the method of the occultist, and the 
rudiments of the method are laid down in raja-yoga 

The word "sanctification", as you know, 

in the basic sense signifies the complete surrender of the 
whole being to one object, the Lord, or Ruler. It means 
the giving wholly to the one the devotee aspires to. It 
means the consecration of the whole three-fold man to 
the work in hand. It entails, therefore, the application 
of the entire time and self to the bringing of each body 
under the subjugation of the Ego, and the complete mas- 
tery of each plane and sub-plane. It involves the compre- 
hension of each evolution and form of divine life as found 
on those planes and sub-planes with one aim in view and 
only one — the furthering of the plan of the Heirarchy of 
Light. The method followed is that of the intensest ap- 
plication to the work of rounding out the bodies and of 
making them fit instruments for service. It is perhaps the 
hardest way that a man can tread. It leaves no depart- 
ment of the life untouched. All is brought under law. In 
meditation therefore the form of that meditation will be a 
three-fold structure : — 

a. The laws governing the physical body will be 
studied and brooded over. This brooding will find ex- 
pression in a rigid disciplining of the physical body. 
It will be set apart wholly for service, and subjected 
consequently to a process that will attune and develop 
it more quickly. 



280 THE MASTEKS 

b. The body of the emotions will be scientifical- 
ly studied and the laws of water (occultly under- 
stood) will be comprehended. The significance of the 
term, "there shall be no more sea" will be known, and 
the sea of storm and passion will be superseded by the 
sea of glass, which directly reflects the higher in- 
tuition, and mirrors it with perfect accuracy, being 
unruffled and immovable. The emotional body will 
be set apart wholly for service, and its place in the 
three-fold microcosm will be regarded as correspond- 
ing to that in the macrocosm, whilst the occult signifi- 
cance of its being the only complete unit in the three- 
fold lower nature will be apprehended, and the fact 
made use of to effect certain results. Ponder on this. 

c. The place of lower mind in the scheme of 
things will be studied, and the quality of discrimina- 
tion developed. Discrimination and fire are occultly 
allied and just as the Logos by fire tries every man's 
work of what sort it is, so the microcosm on a lesser 
scale has to do the same. Just as the Logos likewise 
does this paramountly in the fifth round of judgment 
and of separation, so the microcosm on his lesser scale 
does the same in the last and fifth period of his evolu- 
tion, — touched upon and described earlier in these let- 
ters. Every power of the mind will be utilised to the 
uttermost for the furtherance of the plans of evolu- 
tion ; first in the man's own development, then in the 
special field of work wherein he expresses himself, 
and lastly in his relationship with other units of the 
race, as he constitutes himself their guide and servant. 
See you therefore the synthesis of it? First the 

strenuous one-pointedness that is the sign of the occultist 
blended with the wisdom and love which is reflected from 



THE MASTERS 281 

the higher in the mirror of the emotional body, and then 
the intellect forced to act as the servant of the Ego through 
one-pointed effort animated by love and wisdom. The re- 
sult will be the true Yogi. 

I would point out here that the true Yogi is he, who, 
after due carrying out of the set forms and times for medi- 
tation, merges that meditation in the every-day living, and 
will eventually be in the attitude of meditation all the 
day. Meditation is the means whereby the higher con- 
sciousness is contacted. When the contact becomes con- 
tinuous, meditation, as you understand it, is superseded. 
In this first method the occult student works from the 
periphery to the centre, from the objective to the sub- 
jective, from the form to the life within the form. There- 
fore through the emphasis laid in Raj a- Yoga on the physi- 
cal body and its wise control the occultist realises the 
essential importance of the physical, and the uselessness 
of all his knowledge apart from a physical body whereby 
he can express himself and serve the race. It is the line 
of the first ray, and its affiliated or complementary ray. 

Love and wisdom. This method is the line of least 
resistance for the sons of men. It is the sub-ray of the 
synthetic ray of an analagous vibration, of which our solar 
system is the objective manifestation. But I would seek 
to point out that the love achieved by the student of medi- 
tation who follows this line is not the sentimental concep- 
tion that is so often discussed. It is not the non-dis- 
criminating love that sees no limitation, nor concedes a 
fault. It is not the love that seeks not to correct and that 
expresses itself in an ill-advised attitude to all who live. 
It is not the love that sweeps all into service, suitable or 
unsuitable, and that recognises no difference in point of 
development. Much that is called love, — if logically fol- 
lowed out, — would apparently dispense with the ladder of 



282 THE MASTERS 

evolution, and rank all as of equal value. So potentially 
all are, but in present terms of service all are not. 

True love or wisdom sees with perfect clarity the de- 
ficiencies of any form, and bends every effort to aid the 
indwelling life to liberate itself from trammels. It wisely 
recognises those that need help, and those that need not 
its attention. It hears with precision, and sees the thought 
of the heart and seeks ever to blend into one whole the 
workers in the field of the world. This it achieves not by 
blindness, but by discrimination and wisdom, separ- 
ating contrary vibrations and placing them in position 
diverse. Too much emphasis has been laid on that called 
love (interpreted by man, according to his present place 
in evolution) and not enough has been placed on wisdom, 
which is love expressing itself in service, such a service 
that recognises the occult law, the significance of time, and 
the point achieved. 

This is the line of the second ray and its affiliated, 
and complementary rays. Later it is the all-inclusive one, 
and the solvent and absorber. It can be followed, being 
synthetic, on either the raja yoga line or the Christian 
Gnostic, owing to its synthetic significance 

Intellectual application. Here the order is re 
versed and the student, being frequently polarised in his 
mental body, has to learn through that mind to understand 
the other two, to dominate and control, and to utilise to 
the uttermost the powers inherent in the three-fold man. 
The method here is perhaps not so hard in some ways, but 
the limitations of the fifth principle have to be transcended 
before real progress can be made. These limitations are 
largely crystallisation and that which you call pride. 
Both have to be broken before the student who progresses 
through intellectual application can serve his race with 
love and wisdom as the animating cause. 



THE MASTERS 283 

He has to learn the value of the emotions, and in so 
learning he has to master the effect of fire on water, oc- 
cultly understood. He has to learn the secret of that 
plane, which secret (when known) gives him the key to 
the downpour of illumination from the Triad via the causal 
and thence to the astral. It holds the key also of the 
fourth etheric level. This will not as yet be comprehended 
by you, but the above hint holds for the student much of 
value. 

This is the line of the third Ray, and of its four sub- 
sidiary Rays, and is one of great activity, of frequent 
transference, and of much active mental display in the 
lower worlds. 

Only when the student, who progresses by intellectual 
application, has learned the secret of the fifth plane, will 
he live the life of sanctified service, and so blend the three 
ways. Always synthesis must be attained, but always the 
fundamental colouring or tone remains. The next or fifth 
round will show the greatest exposition of this method. It 
will be the round of supreme mental development, and 
will carry its evolving Monads to heights undreamed of 
now. 

This round marks the height of the second method, 
that through love or wisdom. It is the fourth round, that 
wherein the emotional reaches a high point of vibration, 
and there is direct connection between the fourth plane 
of harmony, between the emotional body, or the fourth 
principle, the quarternary, the fourth root-race or the At- 
lantean which co-ordinated the astral. I give you food 
for thought in these correspondences. 

September 21st, 1920. 
Five effects of Meditation in the three worlds. 

Today, we are to take up the five effects in the three 



284 THE MASTEKS 

bodies in the lower world that the student of meditation 
will be conscious of if he has duly followed the course laid 
down. 

These effects are not specifically effects in the life as 
apparent to the onlooking world, such as greater love or 
spirituality or capacity to serve. What I seek today to bring 
out are the indications in the physical brain conscious- 
ness of the student that he has done some of the necessary 
work and is attaining somewhat the desired object. Keep 
this very clearly in mind. I do not seek to make clear all 
the many and various results achieved by the successful 
following of the occult laws of meditation. I deal here 
only with one phase of the matter, and that is, the realisa- 
tion, in the physical brain consciousness, of certain results 
along the line of our immediate topic, — access to the 
Masters. 

This narrows down our subject to that of a con- 
scious realisation of the Masters and of some one partic- 
ular Master by the student in his physical brain. This 
realisation is independent very largely of his place upon 
the Path, and of his nearness or distance from initiation. 
Some very advanced egos may be working at this prob- 
lem, and be close indeed to their Master without being 
able to bring through to the physical brain specific facts 
proving to them this nearness. Some effect this knowledge 
at earlier stages than others. It is dependent upon the 
type of body in use and the work done in previous lives, 
resulting in a physical vehicle that is a fairly just expon- 
ent of the inner man. Oft the man is of far greater calibre 
and attainment on the inner planes than he is on the physi- 
cal. So many of our most earnest workers in this partic- 
ular half century are working out evil karma through the 
possession of inadequate bodies. Through diligence, appli- 
cation, high endeavour, and the long and patient following 



THE MASTERS 285 

of the rules laid down there comes a time when the student 
is suddenly conscious — right within the physical brain, — 
of certain unexpected events, an illumination or a seeing 
that has before been unknown. It is something that is so 
real yet so momentarily surprising that no amount of sub- 
sequent apparent disproving can take away from him the 
knowledge that he saw, he contacted, he felt. 

As often I have told you it is not possible in any way 
in this work to do more than widely generalise. Sixty 
million souls in process of evolving, each following certain 
rounds of lives totally different from those of others, offer 
a wide field to choose from, and no one experience is ex- 
actly the same as another. But it might be generally laid 
down that there are five ways (out of the many possible) 
which are of such frequent occurrences, comparatively 
speaking, as to warrant our enumerating them. All have 
been hinted at, but I may somewhat enlarge the already 
imparted data. 

Seeing the Master and the self within the cave of 
the heart. As you know the student has often been told to 
visualise himself and the Master — about the size of a 
quarter inch — within the circumference of the etheric 
heart. He is told to picture, toward the close of his medi- 
tation, the heart etheric, and therein build minute forms 
of the Master to Whom he is drawn and of himself. This 
he proceeds to do with due and elaborate care, with the 
aid of the imagination and loving effort working daily on 
his figures till they become to him very real, and their 
building and forming becomes almost an automatic part of 
his meditation form. Then comes a day (usually when 
astrological conditions are fit and the moon approaches 
the full) when he becomes conscious within his brain that 
those figures are not the little puppets he thinks, but that 
he is within the figure representing himself, and that he 



286 THE MASTERS 

stands literally and in all verity before the Master. This 
occurs at rare intervals at first, and the consciousness of 
the fact is held but for a few brief seconds; as progress 
is made, and every department of his nature and of his 
service develops, with greater frequency will come the ex- 
perience, with longer periods will it be marked, until there 
comes a time when the pupil can link up as easily in this 
manner with his Master as earlier he formed his figures. 

Just what did occur? The pupil had succeeded in 
doing three things: — 

1. Identifying himself with the figure within the 
heart, and aspiring to the Master. 

2. Making a definite channel between the heart 
centre (wherein he is endeavouring to focus his conscious- 
ness) and its corresponding head centre. Each of the sev- 
en centres in the body, as you know, has a counterpart 
within the head. It is in the linking up of the centre with 
its counterpart in the head that illumination comes. This, 
— in the case in point, — has been accomplished by the 
student. He has connected the heart with its head centre. 

3. Not only has he accomplished the two above 
things but he has so purified that part of the physical brain 
that corresponds with the particular head centre that it 
can respond to the higher vibration necessitated, and 
therefore accurately record what has transpired. 

Recognition of vibration. In this instance the 
method is not quite the same. The student becomes con- 
scious during his moments of intensest aspiration in medi- 
tation of a certain peculiar vibration or sensation in hi*> 
head. It may be in one of three places : — 

a. At the top of the spine. 

b. In the forehead. 

c. At the top of the head. 



THE MASTERS 287 

I speak not here of the sensation that comes when psychic 
faculty develops, though there is an alliance between the 
two, but I speak of a definite vibration that accompanies 
contact with one of the Great Ones. The student at first 
is only conscious of a feeling of momentary heightening, 
which takes the form of a ripple or movement in the head. 
At first it may be attended with some discomfort, if felt in 
the forehead it may cause tears and weeping, if at the top 
of the spine or base of the skull exhilaration and even 
dizziness, and if at the top of the head a sense of expansion 
with a feeling of fulness, as if the limiting skull was too 
confining. This wears off with greater use. It is all 
caused by a contact, momentary at first, with some one 
Master. In time the student comes to recognise this vibra- 
tion and to associate it with some particular Great One, 
for each Master has His own vibration which impresses 
itself upon His pupils in a specific manner. This method 
of contact is frequently attended by perfume. In time the 
pupil learns how to raise his vibration to a certain pitch. 
Having done this he holds the vibration steady until he 
senses the Master's answering vibration or the perfume. 
Then he endeavours to merge his consciousness with the 
Master's as far as may be, to ascertain the Master's will, 
and to understand what it is that the Master has to com- 
municate. As time progresses and the response of the 
pupil grows, the Master on His side will attract his atten- 
tion or signal to him approval (for instance by arousing 
this vibration within his head) 



September 23rd, 1920. 

We have now our three remaining points to 

take up, having already dealt with the two that touched 
upon contact with the Master in the cave of the heart, and 



288 THE MASTERS 

the recognition of His vibration. There are still three 
other ways (out of many, forget not) whereby the earnest 
student may be conscious in his physical brain of having 
contacted his Master. 

Bringing through into the physical brain conscious- 
ness the memory of the Masters ashram and the lessons 
imparted there. 

As the student perseveres in his meditation, as he in- 
creases his facility to throw himself into the right vibra- 
tion, he builds up a pathway (if so we may term it) that 
leads him direct to his Master. This is a literal statement 
of fact. Good work earns for the man in time the right to 
be with the Master at stated periods. This entails good 
work in meditation coupled with active service for the 
race. These intervals are rare at first but come more 
frequently as progress is made. He will then become 
aware of this contact through remembrance on awakening. 
He will see the room of the Master, and remember his as- 
sociates in the work of the class. He will remember cer- 
tain sentences, as spoken by his Master, and will bring 
back a recollection of work suggested or of admonition. 
This is one of the methods which are indicative to the pupil 
that he is succeeding, through the ability built up in medi- 
tation, in gaining access to the Master. 

The attainment of a certain amount of causal con- 
sciousness. This is indicative of the pupil's having de- 
veloped (mayhap in small degree, yet definitely realised) 
the power to enter somewhat into Their world. The 
faculty of abstract thought and contemplation, the power 
to transcend the limitations of time and space are powers 
of the body egoic, and as all egoic groups are — as afore- 
said — controlled by some one Master, the development of 
egoic consciousness (when consciously recognised) is in- 
dicative of contact and access. Many souls unconsciously 



THE MASTERS 289 

contact their Ego, and temporarily have flashes of egoic 
consciousness but when the pupil can consciously raise 
himself, when he with deliberation intensifies his vibra- 
tion, and transfers his polarisation into the body egoic, 
even if for a brief moment, then he can know that he is 
for that brief moment vibrating to the key of the Master 
of his group. He has made contact. He may not remem- 
ber in his physical brain at first the details of that con- 
tact, he may not realise the appearance of the Master or 
the words that passed His lips, but having consciously 
conformed to rule, and entered within the silence of the 
high places, the law ever works, and he has made his con- 
tact. Some disciples know their Master intimately on the 
inner planes and work under His direction, but many lives 
may elapse before they comprehend the law and with de- 
liberation can make the channel of access, through power 
developed in meditation. 

As time elapses this ability to contact increases until 
the point is reached when the pupil can at any time find 
out what is the will of the Master and have access to His 
heart. 

This fifth method is not so usual but it is known to 
some natures. Through sound the aspirant is aware of 
success. He follows his usual form of meditation. He 
perseveres from day to day and works on all the three 
planes over the work to be done. He continuously raises 
his vibration and aspires in the needed endeavour, coup- 
ling all interior effort to the external life of loving service. 
At some one meditation he will suddenly become aware of 
a note of music, that seems to be sounded within his head 
or to emanate from his heart. It will not be evoked by 
the sounding of the Sacred Word, which Word when 
sounded by the man on a certain key may call forth a 
musical response from the Ego, but it will come as a result 



290 THE MASTEKS 

or culmination of the meditation, and the sound of the 
note will vibrate within the centre so distinctly as never 
to be forgotten. It is again an indication of success. The 
Master has been contacted, and has responded by sound- 
ing the tone of the man's own Ego. This is really the basis 
of the custom of the doorkeeper responding to the would- 
be aspirant to the mysteries of the group. When the work 
is properly done, the aspirant will sound the admission 
word in his own key or tone, endeavouring to strike the 
note that will evoke the Ego. The doorkeeper will respond 
and chant forth the reply in the same full sonorous tone, 
thereby, through the power of sound, linking the man up 
with the Master of the coming ceremonies. This puts each 
member of the group, — through his own effort and 
through the third factor, the doorkeeper, — en rapport 
with the Master. In time this will be more fully under- 
stood and effort will be made to keep the tone reverberat- 
ing between those who enter and those who guard the 
Threshold. When perfectly accomplished (a thing im- 
possible now) it forms a perfect protection. Groups will 
be formed according to egoic formation and the particular 
Master. The note of the group will be known to the one 
who guards the entrance, and no one can get in who 
sounds not the note in either the higher or lower octave. 
This applies to groups consecrated to inner spiritual de- 
velopment, and that are directly concerned with the work 
of a Master with His affiliated pupils or disciples or pro- 
bationers. Other groups, formed of units diverse and un- 
der different rays and Masters will guard their door by 
another method, later to be revealed. 

When, in meditation, a student hears this inner mus- 
ical note, he should endeavour to register it, and cultivate 
the faculty of both recognising it and utilising it. This 
is not easy at first, as the sounding is both unlooked for 



THE MASTERS 291 

and too brief to catch. But as time progresses, and the 
pupil succeeds in again and yet again getting a similar 
response, then he can begin to find out the method and 
watch the causes that set the vibration in motion. 

As I have said before, many are the methods whereby 
a pupil becomes aware of success in the path of access. 
Above are but five out of these many. Later, when the 
Schools are organized and watched over by a Master in 
physical plane consciousness, records will be kept of the 
times and modes of contact and in this manner much 
knowledge will accrue. I would in conclusion point out 
that always the calling forth of the response must be the 
work of the pupil, and that the hour of that response de- 
pends upon the earnestness of his work, the consecration 
of his service and his karmic liabilities. When he merits 
certain response it will be demonstrated in his stars, and 
naught can hinder or delay. Equally, naught can really 
hasten, so the pupil need not waste time in doleful ponder- 
ings upon the lack of response. His the part to obey the 
rules, to conform to the forms laid down, to ponder and 
wisely adhere to the prescribed instructions, and to 
definitely work and to ardently serve his fellow men. 
When he has done all this, when he has built the necessary 
vibrating material into his three lower bodies, when he 
has aligned them with the body egoic (even if only for a 
brief minute) suddenly he may see, suddenly he may hear, 
suddenly he may sense a vibration, and then for ever he 
may say that faith is merged in sight, and aspiration has 
become recognition. 



LETTER IX 
FUTURE SCHOOLS OF MEDITATION 

a. The one fundamental school. 

b. Its national subdivisions. 

c. The location, personnel, and buildings of the 
school. 

d. The grades and classes. 



292 



LETTER IX 
FUTURE SCHOOLS OF MEDITATION 

September 26th, 1920. 

We take up today another of the series of letters on 
occult meditation, that dealing with "Future Schools of 
Meditation". In this letter I shall attempt somewhat to 
show how the training and development indicated in the 
other letters will be applied and I shall deal somewhat 
with prophecy, pointing out what will some day be possi- 
ble and present, and not what is as yet in any way ap- 
proachable. Always it is necessary to have high ideals, 
and ever the human mind leaps forward to some ap- 
pointed goal. If I here outline what may seem a visionary 
impossibility it is but that I seek to hold up such an ideal, 
and to give to the race an objective well worth their high- 
est endeavor. 

Preliminary remarks. 

Let us pause a moment and lay down certain postu- 
lates anent the present that will (so to speak) clear the 
ground for future action. 

The value of meditation is becoming everywhere 
admitted. Schools for concentration and methods of 
mental development are commonly advertised in the daily 
papers. 

True meditation is as yet little understood. Con- 
centration is but the foundation upon which the future 
work is to be based. 

As yet the future structure cannot be raised, due 
to two causes primarily: — 

293 



294 FUTUKE SCHOOLS 

a. The inherent inability of man at this juncture 
to attain the causal level and the conscious- 
ness of the causal level. 

b. The absence of a Master in personal presence, 
able and equipped to teach the true scientific 
development which is the aim of true medi- 
tation. 

The troubled condition of the world at present is 
sufficient barrier to any general acceptation of training, 
and of the scientific development of the vehicles. 

These premises are laid down here as a starting point. 
That some individuals here and there achieve the goal, 
that some people do master the system of Occult Medi- 
tation and make the desired progress is undeniable, but 
they are only few in number and those numbers are in- 
appreciable when set against the vast bulk of human be- 
ings in incarnation at the same time. They achieve by 
right of age-long effort, and because in previous lives they 
trod the Path or neared the portal of initiation. But even 
the average man of intelligence of today — the product, for 
instance, of western civilisation — is far from being 
ready for occult training. Experiments are being made 
now, unknown oft to the subjects themselves, to see how 
quickly a man may be pushed through experience and a 
general hastening of the evolutionary process into a posi- 
tion where it will be safe to train him further. People in 
many civilised countries are under supervision, and a 
method of stimulation and intensification is being applied 
which will bring to the knowledge of the Great Ones 
Themselves a mass of information that may serve as a 
guide to Their future efforts for the race. Especially are 
people in America, Australia, India, Russia, Scotland and 
Greece being dealt with. A few in Belgium, Sweden, and 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 295 

Austria are likewise under observation, and should the re- 
sponse be as hoped they will form a nucleus for further 
expansion. 

Future Schools of Meditation, In handling this 
matter we might, as is our usual custom, divide the sub- 
ject matter under different heads: — 

1. The one fundamental School. 

2. Its national subdivisions. 

3. The location, personnel, and buildings of the 
School. 

4. The grades and classes. 

Now I would emphatically point out to you the fact 
that all that I now impart is a portion of a tentative plan, 
which has in view the hastening of the evolution of the 
higher mind, and the bringing under control of the 
bodies of men, through the power of the God within. This 
plan has been drawn up in view of the crying need of a 
world in which the mental equipment of men is increasing 
out of all proportion to their emotional balance and to 
their physical equipment. The rapid advance of know- 
ledge, the spreading of the educational system which brings 
the product of many minds into the environment of the 
very poor, the ability of all to read and write in such a 
country as America or among the other Anglo-Saxon races, 
has been the cause of a very real (I might almost say an 
unexpected) problem arising to confront the Great Ones. 

Mental development when paralleled by emotional 
stability and a strong healthy body is the aim for all. But 
now you have mental development paralleled by an un- 
stable astral and a weak underfed, badly raised, physical. 
Hence disorder, lack of balance, the clouding of the vision 
and unproportionate discussion. Lower mind, instead of 



296 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

being a means to an end and a weapon for use, is in fair 
way of being a ruler and a tyrant, preventing the play of 
the intuition and shutting out the abstract mind. 

Hence the Masters, if it can in any way be accom- 
plished, purpose a movement that has in view the harness- 
ing of the lower mind through the instrumentality of the 
people themselves. With this object in view They plan to 
utilise the incoming Ray of Ceremonial Law or Organisa- 
tion, and the period immediately co-incident or following 
the coming of the Great Lord, to start these schools (in a 
small inconspicious way at first) and bring to the con- 
sciousness of man everywhere the following four funda- 
mentals : — 

a. The evolutionary history of man from the mental 
side. 

b. The septenary constitution of the macrocosm and 
the microcosm. 

c. The laws governing man's being. 

d. The method of occult development. 

A beginning has already been made through the 

various schools at present extant All these are 

the beginnings of the plan. When they are firmly ground- 
ed, when they are working smoothly and with public 
recognition, and when the world of men is being somewhat 
colored by them and their subjective emphasis, when they 
are producing scholars and workers, politicians and scien- 
tists and educational leaders who make their impress on 
their environment, then mayhap will come the time for the 
founding in exoteric fashion of the true occult school. By 
this I mean that if the earlier schools and colleges do their 
work satisfactorily they will have demonstrated to the 
world of men that the subjective is the true reality and 
that the lower is but the stepping stone to the higher. This 
subjective reality being universally admitted will, there- 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 297 

fore, permit of the founding of a chain of inner schools 
. . .that will be publicly recognised. This will never at any 
time obviate the necessity for always having an esoteric 
and secret section, for always there will be certain truths 
and facts of dangerous import to the uninitiated; but 
what I seek to point out is that the mysteries will eventu- 
ally be admitted as facts for universal recognition and 
for universal aim and goal. They will be prepared for and 
entered from schools that definitely undertake, under ex- 
pert guidance, to train novitiates for the mysteries. 

Such schools have existed before and in the turning of 
the wheel again they will be in manifestation. 

You ask, when? That depends on humanity itself and 
on all of you who work with faith and aspiration at the 
beginnings of the plan. 

H.P.B. laid the foundation stone of the first school 
in this particular lesser cycle (which is nevertheless a 
relatively important one, being an outgrowth of the fifth 
root race, the efflorescence of the fifth principle). This 
is the keystone. The work proceeds in the found- 
ing, as aforesaid, of the various schools, and mental 
science also has its place. It will go forward as desired 
if each one who is now under occult training, strains 
every nerve and bends every effort to the work in 
hand. If all that is possible is done, when the Great Lord 
comes with His Masters the work will receive a still fur- 
ther impetus, and will gradually expand and grow till it 
becomes a power in the world. Then will come the day of 
the occult schools that will definitely train men for initia- 
tion. 

September 27th, 1920. 
We must today take up our first point for it is only 



298 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

as we lay the foundations aright that the superstructure 
measures up to requirements. 

1. The one fundamental School. It is therefore very- 
essential that the emphasis is laid on the fact that no 
matter what the offshoots the basic school of occultism is 
that one which has its root in the sacred centre of the 
planet, Shamballa. At that place, directly under the 
eyes of the One Initiator Himself, Who is — as is seldom 
realized — the highest expression of the Teaching Ray up- 
on the earth, is found what might be termed the central 
office for the educational disciplinary training work of 
the Hierarchy. There will be found the Chohan Who is 
directly responsible for the various endeavors, and to 
Whom the Masters Who take pupils, and the Heads of the 
various occult schools are directly responsible. All pro- 
ceeds under law and order. 

One point that it will here be necessary to emphasise 
is that the Brotherhood of Light, as represented by the 
Himalayan Masters, has its other representatives elsewhere 
who all carry out specific work under proper and adequate 
supervision. Too apt are the Theosophists to think that 
they alone are the repositories of the wisdom religion. Not 
so is the fact. At this particular moment (with the aim in 
view of the development and tendering of opportunity to 
the fifth subrace) the Himalayan Brotherhood is the main 
channel of effort, power and light. But the work with other 
races proceeds simultaneously and numerous other pro- 
jects, all emanating from the central office at Shamballa, 
are paralleling the Himalayan work. Get this clearly in 
mind, for the point is important. The Himalayan School 
and Lodge is the one that principally concerns the Occident 
and the only school without any exception that should 
control the work and output of the occult students in the 
West. It brooks no rival nor contemporary work with its 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 299 

pupils, not for the sake of its own teachers but to ensure 
the safety of its pupils. Danger lurks in the path of the 
occult student and the Himalayan adepts know adequately 
how to protect their pupils, provided those pupils stay 
within the periphery of Their united auras, and wander 
not out to other schools. All true occult schools demand 
this of their pupils, and all true Masters expect Their pupils 
to refrain from taking other occult instructions at the 
same time as they are receiving it from Them. They say 
not: "Our method is the only right and true method". 
They say : "When receiving instructions from Us it is the 
part of wisdom and the line of safety to refrain from occult 
training in another school or under another Master." 
Should a pupil desire so to do he is perfectly free to seek 
out other schools and teachers, but he must first break 
his connection with the old. 

The one fundamental school may be recognised by 
certain outstanding characteristics : — 

By the basic character of the truths taught as 
embodied in the following postulates : — 

a. The unity of all life. 

b. The graded steps of development as recognised in 
man, and by the graded steps of its curriculum, 
which lead a man from one expansion of con- 
sciousness to another until he has reached that 
which we call perfection. 

c. The relationship between the microcosm and the 
macrocosm and its seven-fold application. 

d. The method of this # development and the place of 
the microcosm within the macrocosm as revealed 
through the study of the periodicity of all mani- 
festation and the basic law of cause and effect. 

By the emphasis laid on character building and 



300 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

spiritual development as a foundation for the development 
of all the faculties inherent in the microcosm. 

By the requirement, demanded of all affiliated pupils 
without exception, that the life of inner unfoldment 
and development should be paralleled by a life of exoteric 
service. 

By the graded expansions of consciousness that 
are the result of the imparted training; these lead a man 
on from step to step till he contacts his higher self, his 
Master, his egoic group, the First Initiator, the One Para- 
mount Initiator, until he has contacted the Lord of his 
Ray and has entered into the bosom of his "Father Which 
is in Heaven". 

These are the outstanding features that are descriptive 
of the one true fundamental School. 

This fundamental school has three main branches and 
a fourth that is in process of forming and which will make 
the four branches of this fourth round. These branches 
are as follows : — 

1. The trans-Himalayan Branch. 

2. The Southern India Branch. 

(these are Aryan Branches) 

3. A Branch that works with the fourth root-race 
and has two fourth root-race adepts at its head. 

4. A Branch in process of forming that will have its 
headquarters in the Occident at some place not yet 
disclosed. It has for its main object the instruct- 
ing of those connected with the coming sixth root- 
race. 

These branches are and will be closely inter-allied 
and will work in the closet co-operation, being all focus- 
ed and under the control of the Chohan at Shamballa. 
The heads of each of the four branches communicate with 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 301 

each other frequently and are really like the faculty of one 
stupendous university, the four schools being like 
the various major departments of the foundations — 
like subsidiary colleges. The aim of all is the evolution of 
the race, the object of all is to lead all to the point of stand- 
ing before the One Initiator, the methods employed are 
fundamentally the same, though varying in detail, due to 
the racial characteristics of the races and types dealt with, 
and the fact that certain schools work paramountry with 
one ray and others with another. 

The trans-Himalayan school has its adepts as known 
to you, and others Whose Names are not known. 

The southern Indian school has special work with the 
deva evolution, and with the second and third sub-races of 
the Aryan race. 

The Himalayan school works with the first, fourth and 
fifth sub-race. 

The fourth root-race branch works under the Manu of 
that race and his brother of the Teaching Ray. Their head- 
quarters are in China. 

The Master R. — and one of the English Masters are 
concerning Themselves with the gradual founding of the 
fourth branch of the school, with the assistance of the 
Master Hilarion. Ponder on these imparted facts for 
the significance is of profound importance. 

Tomorrow we will deal with the future. Today I 
have but imparted facts in present manifestation. 

September 28th, 1920. 

Today our second point comes up for consideration, 
and we shall in the elucidation of it enter into the realms 
of prophecy. I would here point out to you that the thing 
which is indicated as existing in the future may not always 



302 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

work out in detail as foreseen. I but seek to lay before you 
the big general plan in its outline. The working out in the 
future will depend upon the intuition or high perception 
of the thinkers of the race and upon the ability of the in- 
carnating jivas to seize upon the opportunities and fulfil 
their destiny. 

We touched yesterday upon the one fundamental 
school with its four branches. Today I would take up : — 

2. The national subdivisions of the one school. 

At the outset I would point out to you that not every 
nation in the world will have its occult school. Only as 
the causal body of the national group has reached a cer- 
tain rate of vibration will it be possible to found and in- 
stitute these schools. Only as the educational work of the 
nation has reached a certain height will it be possible to 
use the mental equipment of the nation as a stepping stone 
for further expansion, and to use it as a basis for the oc- 
cult school. And, curiously enough, only those nations 
which originally had a training school for the mysteries 
(with three exceptions) will be again during the earlier 
stages permitted national schools. The exceptions are: — 

1. Great Britain. 

2. Canada and the United States. 

3. Australia. 

And even these exceptions might be considered only one, 
the case of Australia, for the other two in Atlantean days 
had their occult foundations when they formed part of the 
earlier continent. In the turning of the wheel, earth itself 
re-incarnates; places pass into pralaya and emerge into 
manifestation, holding within them the seeds that will 
eventuate in similar vibration, and bring into being again 
similar modes of expression, and similar form on the plane. 
It will be found later on, when the Occult Schools are 
founded, that they will be situated where some of the old 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 303 

magnetism yet lingers, and where in some cases certain 
old talismans have been kept by the Brotherhood with just 
this aim in view. 

Branches, affiliated with one of the four central divi- 
sions of the one occult foundation, will be found in the 
following countries : 

1. Egypt. This will be one of the later schools 
founded and will be profoundly occult and an advanced 
school in direct communication with the inner grades. This 
will be touched upon later. 

2. The United States will have a preparatory school 
somewhere in the southern part of the Middle West, and 
an extensive occult college in California in a place later 
to be revealed. This school will be one of the first started 
when the Great Lord begins His earthly career, and during 
the next five years the seeds of it may be laid if students 
rightly apprehend the work to be done. 

3. There will be one school for the Latin countries, 
probably in Italy and Southern France, but much depends 
on the political and educational work of the next ten years. 

4. Great Britain. At one of the magnetised spots in 
either Scotland or Wales, a branch for occult training 
will be begun before so very long, which will lay the foun- 
dation and embrace the curriculum for the earlier grades. 
After it has been in existence for a few years and has 
proved the effectiveness of its training, and after troubled 
Ireland has adjusted her internal problems, a school for 
the more advanced grades, and for definite preparation for 
the mysteries will be started in Ireland at one of the 
magnetised spots there to be found. This school will be 
very definitely a school where preparation for a major 
initiation may be taken, and will be under the eye of the 
Boddhisattva, preparing the pupil for initiation upon the 



304 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

second ray. The first school in Egypt will be for those 
who take initiation on the first ray in the Occident. 

Those who take initiation on the line of the Mahacho- 
han, or on the third Ray, will take it at the advanced occult 
school in Italy. In this way the Occident will have its 
centre where active instruction may be given according to 
the three lines of approach, and which will give prepara- 
tion in the inner mysteries. 

5. A preparatory occult school will be found, too, in 
Sweden, for those of the northern and German races who 
seek the Path, and when it has been extant for some time 
Russia may then be in a position to house the headquarters 
for the more advanced school affiliated to the preparatory 
one in Sweden. In connection with the Egyptian advanced 
school will be a preparatory one in Greece or in Syria. 

You have, therefore, the following schools as planned, 
and must bear in mind that the schools wherein the pre- 
paratory work and earlier grades are found will be first in 
order of time, and are in process of founding now, or will 
be founded during the period immediately preceding the 
Coming of the Great Lord. The founding of others will 
be definitely the outcome of His work, and that of His 
Masters, and will depend upon Their decision as to the 
success of the earlier endeavour. 

Preparatory Grades Advanced School 

1. Greece or Syria leading to Egypt 

2. Middle West, U. S. A California 

3. Southern France Italy 

4. Scotland or Wales Ireland 

5. Sweden Russia 

6. New Zealand Australia 

There is also planned a preparatory school for the 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 305 

advanced egos of the fourth root-race. This will be under 
the Manu of that race and will be situated in Japan, with 
its most esoteric branch in western China. This makes the 
seventh in the group of schools outlined. 

It is not purposed as yet to have branches in Southern 
Africa or Southern America. Their day is not yet, but 
comes in the next cycle. 

Now, I would earnestly call to your attention that the 
schools will make but small beginnings and will be 
launched in a way that will appear at first as too unim- 
portant to be noticeable. A beginning will be made with 
members of the different occult schools, such as the esoteric 

sections of the theosophical movement, and others 

The work in Britain, America and Australia is already 
in process of inception, whilst that in Sweden will shortly 
be on foot. The others will follow at slightly later dates. 

This much of the plan has been permitted publication 
as an incentive to all of you to study with greater aspira- 
tion and to work with more strenuous application. Each 
and all has his place in the plan would he but qualify by 
doing the necessary work. That work should be : — 

An endeavour to recognise the Divine within each 
one. In this manner the true occult obedience, which is 
an essential in all occult training, will be fostered and 
developed, being not based, as is so oft seen, on person- 
ality, but on that instinctive realisation of a Master, and 
the willing following that comes from the recognition of 
His powers, the purity of His life and aims and the 
profundity of His knowledge. 

An endeavour to think in group terms and clearly 
for oneself, not depending upon the word of others for 
clarification. 

An endeavour to purify and refine all the bodies 
and make them more reliable servants. 



306 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

An endeavour to equip throughout, the mental 
vehicle and to store within it the facts upon which extend- 
ed knowledge may be based. 

If these things are done great will be the day of oppor- 
tunity. 

October 2nd, 1920. 

In the rigid disciplining of yourself comes eventual 
perfection. To the disciple nought is too small to under- 
take, for in the rigid adjustment of the details of the lower 
world life comes, at the end, attainment of the goal. The 
life of the disciple becomes not easier as the Gate is neared, 
but ever the watch must be more thorough, ever right ac- 
tion must be taken with no regard to result, and ever each 
body in all its aggregate of detail must be wrestled with 
and subjugated. Only in the thorough comprehension of 
the axiom "Know thyself" will come that understanding 
that enables man to wield the law and know the inner 
working of the system from the centre to the periphery. 
Struggle, strive, discipline, and rejoicingly serve with no 
reward save the misunderstanding and the abuse of those 
who follow after — this is the role of the disciple. 
Today we will deal with our third point. 

3. The Location, personnel, and building of the oc- 
cult school. 

Here at the outset I would remind you that much 
which might be said by me on this matter must remain 
unsaid for lack of the ability to comprehend. I might 
lay down certain approximate rules, and make certain 
fundamental suggestions that may find their place in the 
final working out. I can lay down no rule that must be 
kept. Such is not the occult law. In the establishment of 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 307 

these occult schools in their two divisions, preparatory and 
advanced, in the different designated centres under one of 
the four branches of the one fundamental School of 
Occultism, the work will begin in an inconspicuous manner, 
and those pupils and advanced egos whose work it is to 
make the necessary beginning must find out for themselves 
the method, place and manner. All must be wrought out 
in the furnace of endeavor and experiment and the price 
paid will be high, but only that which is thus wrought out 
provides the residue or nucleus upon which the further 
work may be based. Mistakes matter not ; nought but the 
fleeting personalities suffer. What does matter is lack of 
aspiration, inability ro attempt, and incapacity to learn 
the lesson that failure teaches. When failures are regard- 
ed as valuable lessons, when a mistake is deemed but a 
warning signal that averts from disaster, and when no 
time is ever lost by a disciple in vain despair and useless 
depreciation, then the watching Teachers of the race know 
that the work the Ego seeks to do through each expression 
on the lower plane goes forward as desired, and that 
success must inevitably eventuate. We will here take 
each detail of our subject as enumerated above by itself. 

The Location. This is a matter of very real im- 
portance but differs according to the need of finding a 
situation whereon to found a preparatory or an advanced 
school. Generally speaking (for national requirements 
vary much) the school for the preparatory work will be 
situated within reasonable distance of some big centre or 
city, whilst the school for the advanced grades will be 
more isolated, and not so easily accessible 

Let us look into this for a moment. One of the funda- 
mental things that the novitiate has to learn is to find his 
centre within himself, independent of surrounding circum- 
stances, and preferably in spite of surrounding circum- 



308 FUTUBE SCHOOLS 

stances. The centre must be found to a considerable de- 
gree before he can pass on to the more advanced grades and 
work in the second school. The preparatory school above 
all things concentrates on the development of the three- 
fold lower man, and his training in service. The advanced 
school definitely prepares for Initiation, and is concerned 
with occult lore, with the impartation of cosmic truth, 
with the abstract development of the pupil, and with work 
on causal levels. One can be best accomplished in the 
world of men and through contact with the world; the 
other demands necessarily an environment of comparative 
seclusion and freedom from interruption. We might ex- 
press it thus : — the preparatory grades deal with the king- 
dom of God within, whilst the advanced school expands 
that training into one which includes the kingdom of God 
without. Therefore the first will be situated amongst the 
working sons of men, so that by his re-actions and inter- 
actions in association with them, in service and struggle, 
the pupil may learn to know himself. The other will be 
for those who have somewhat mastered these things, and 
are ready to learn more of other evolutions and of the 
cosmos. Until a man is master of himself to a consider- 
able degree he may not safely work, for instance, with the 
deva or angel evolution. In the preparatory school he learns 
this mastery; in the more advanced school he can thus be 
trusted to make other contacts than the human. In both 
these schools, the basic instruction is meditation in all 
its grades. Why? Because in occult schools information, 
clear instructions, or a conglomerate of facts is never given, 
nor are the exoteric textbook methods ever employed. The 
whole aim is only to put the student in the way of finding 
out for himself the needed knowledge. How? By develop- 
ing the intuition through meditation, and by the attain- 
ment of that measure of mental control that will permit 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 309 

the wisdom of the Triad to pour down into the physical 
brain, via the causal. Therefore, in the preparatory school 
emphasis will be laid on the meditation that concerns the 
mind and the teaching embodied in this book will be ap- 
plied. This necessitates an environment wherein many 
and varied human contacts will be made, and where the 
concrete knowledge of the world of men will be easily 
available (music, libraries, and lectures), for in the pre- 
paration for true occult training the astral and mental 
equipping of the student will be one of the first considera- 
tions. When this has been somewhat accomplished, and 
when the clairvoyant Head of the school sees that the 
rounding out of the lower auric egg approaches the desired 
point, then the pupil will pass into the more advanced 
school, and will be taught how from his stable centre to 
contact the cosmic centre, and from the point within him- 
self to expand his consciousness till it touches the peri- 
phery of the system macrocosmic, and embraces all that 
lives — lives in an occult sense. This necessitates, during 
the period of training, comparative seclusion, and this the 
advanced school will provide. Therefore the preparatory 
school will be located near some large city, preferably near 
the sea or some large expanse of water, but never within 
the city ; it will be on the confines of the centres of learning 
within the city and will be readily accessible. The ad- 
vanced school will be far from the crowded places of the 
earth and preferably in a mountainous region, for the 
mountains have a direct effect on the occultist and impart 
to him that quality of strength and steadfastness that is 
their predominant characteristic and must be that too of 
the occultist. The sea or expanse of water close to a pre- 
paratory school will convey to his mind a constant remind- 
er of the purification, which is his paramount work, whilst 
the mountains will imbue the advanced student with cos- 



310 FUTUEE SCHOOLS 

mic strength and will hold steadily before him the thought 
of the Mount of Initiation which he aims soon to tread. 

Tomorrow we will take the important factor of the 
personnel and faculty of the school and the types of build- 
ing. 

October 7th, 1920. 

We deal today with that portion of our third point in 
the letter on "Future Schools of Meditation", which deals 
with the Personnel of the School. 

This term includes both those who supervise and those 
who are under supervision, and the subject is necessarily 
large. As said in the earlier parts of this letter the schools 
will be in two divisions wherever situated : — 

a. A preparatory school for the earlier grades in 
occult instruction, and situated preferably near some large 
expanse of water and near some central city. 

b. An advanced school for the later grades, which 
will definitely prepare the way for initiation, and train 
pupils in occult lore. 

As you will consequently see the personnel of both 
schools will necessarily differ, as will the curriculum. We 
will deal with each type of school separately, and lay down 
certain fundamentals which must be looked for in in- 
structors and instructed. 

The Preparatory occult school. This — to the outer 
world — may appear not so different from an ordinary 
college. The differences will not be recognisable at first 
to the man of the world, though the differences will be 
there, and will demonstrate themselves in the school work, 
to the pupils, and on the inner planes. The fundamentals 
as regards the instructors are as follows : — 

The Head of the school will be an accepted dis- 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 311 

ciple; it is essential that the Master, Who is back of 
the work of any particular school, should be able at all 
times to tap the consciousness of that school as focussed 
through the disciple. This Head will be able to act as a 
medium of communication between the students and the 
Master and as a focal point for His force to flow through 
to them. He must be consciously able to function on the 
astral plane at night and to bring the knowledge through 
to the physical brain, for part of his work will be with 
students on the astral plane, guiding them to the Master's 
ashram at certain intervals for specialised work. He will 
have to train them too in this conscious functioning. 

Under him will work six instructors, of whom one 
at least must be a conscious clairvoyant, and able to 
assist the Head with his information as to the auric develop- 
ment of the students ; he must be able to gauge the colors 
and expansion of the students' vehicles, and co-operate 
with the Head in the work of expanding and attuning those 
vehicles. These instructors must be on the probationary 
Path and earnestly devoted to the work of assisting evo- 
lution and devoted to the service of some one Master. 
They must and will be carefully chosen so as to supple- 
ment and complement each other, and in the school will 
form a miniature hierarchy, showing on the physical plane 
a tiny replica of the occult prototype. As their work will 
be largely to develop the lower mind of the pupil and to 
link it up with the higher consciousness, and as the focal 
point of their endeavor will be the rapid building in to the 
causal body, they will be men of erudition, and of know- 
ledge, grounded in the knowledge of the Hall of Learning, 
and able to teach and to compete with the trained teachers 
of the world universities. 

In every college the work of these trained seven 
men will be aided by that of three women chosen for their 



312 FUTUKE SCHOOLS 

capacity to teach, for their intuitive development and for 
the spiritual and devotional touch they will bring to the 
lives of the students. To these ten teachers will be entrust- 
ed the work of grounding the students in the important 
essentials, in superintending the acquirement of the rudi- 
ments of occult lore and science, and their development 
in the higher psychism. These ten must be profound 
students of meditation, and able to superintend and teach 
the pupils the rudiments of occult meditation, as taught, 
for instance, in this book. Occult facts will be imparted 
to these pupils by them and the basic laws that — in the 
advanced school — will be the subject of definite practice 
by the would-be initiate. Exercises in telepathy, causal 
communication, reminiscence of work undertaken during 
the hours of sleep, and the recovering of the memory of 
past lives, through certain mental processes, will be taught 
by them, — themselves proficient in these arts. 

As you will see here, all these teachers will be devoted 
to the definite training and inner development of the three- 
fold man. 

Under these will work various other teachers, who 
will superintend other departments of the pupils' lives. 
Exoteric science will be taught and practised by pro- 
ficient teachers, and the lower mind will be developed as 
much as possible, and kept in check by the other ten teach- 
ers who watch over the proportional development, and the 
aptitude for correct meditation of the student. 

Along with all this will be the life of world-service, 
rigidly demanded of each and every pupil. This life of 
service will be carefully watched and recorded. One thing 
to be noted here is that in this there will be no compulsion. 
The pupil will know what is expected of him and what he 
must do if he is to pass on to the more advanced schools, 
and the school's charts (recording the condition of his 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 313 

vehicles, and his progress and his capacity to serve) will 
all be available for his personal inspection, though to no 
one e]se. He will know clearly where he stands, what he 
must do and what remains to be done, and it rests then 
with him to aid the work by the closest co-operation. A 
certain amount of care will be taken in the admittance of 
pupils to the school, and this will obviate the necessity of 
later removal for inability or lack of interest, but this I 
will deal with later, when taking up the grades and classes. 

You have, therefore, ten superintending teachers, com- 
posed of seven men and of three women, and a Head who 
is an accepted disciple. Under them will work a set of in- 
structors who will deal largely with the lower mind and in 
the emotional, physical and mental equipping of the pupil 
and his passing into the advanced school, in a condition to 
profit by the instructions there to be imparted. Here I 
would point out that I have planned out the ideal, and 
pictured for you the school as it is hoped it will eventually 
be. But as in all occult development, the beginning will 
be small and of little apparent importance. Tomorrow 
we will take up the rules governing the admission of 
students and the personnel of the more advanced school. 

October 16th, 1920. 

Today we will take up : — 



The personnel of the advanced school, and the rules 
of admission to both the preparatory and advanced. This 
latter part will be largely technical. 

The first point I seek to make here is that these ad- 
vanced schools will be numerically small, and this for a 
very long time to come, and the personnel will be corres- 



314 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

pondingly small At the head of the school will always 

be found an Initiate of the first or second degree, the aim 
of the school being to prepare pupils for the first initiation. 
This necessarily requires an Initiate head. This Initiate 
head will be definitely appointed by the Master Who has 
the school in charge, and he will be — within the confines 
of the school — sole judge and autocrat. The risks of occult 
training are too great to permit of trifling, and what the 
Head demands must be obeyed. But this obedience will 
not be compulsory but voluntary, for each pupil will rea- 
lise the necessity and will render obedience from spiritual 
recognition. As aforesaid, these different occult schools 
will be practically ray schools, and will have for their 
personnel teachers on some one Ray or its complementary 
Ray, with pupils on the same Ray or complementary Ray. 
For instance, if the school is a second Ray school — such as 
the one in Ireland is purposed to be — teachers and pupils 
on the second, fourth and sixth rays will be found in it. At 
least one fifth Ray teacher will be found in every school of 
occultism. If a first Ray school, the personnel and pupils 
will be first, third and seventh Ray, with again a fifth Ray 
teacher among the others. 

Under the initiate Head will be two other teachers 
who will be accepted disciples, and every pupil under them 
must have passed through the preparatory school, and 
graduated from all the lower grades. Probably these three 
will comprise the entire teaching staff, for the pupils under 
them will be relatively few in number and the work of the 
teachers is supervisory more than didactic, for the occult- 
ist is always esoterically self-taught. 

Much of the work done by these three will be on the 
inner planes, and they will work more in the seclusion of 
their own rooms than in class room with the students them- 
selves. The pupils are — it will be presumed — ready to 



FUTUKE SCHOOLS 315 

work for themselves and to find the way to the portal of 
initiation alone. The work of the teachers will be advis- 
ory, and they will be available to answer questions and to 
superintend work initiated by the pupil himself, and not 
compelled by the teacher. Stimulating vibration, aligning 
the bodies, superintending the work on inner planes, and 
the pouring in of force with the shielding from danger by 
occult methods, will be the work in part of the Teachers, 
added to the supervision of definite and strenuous medi- 
tation. At intervals they will conduct the pupils to the 
Master, advise as to their passing into the different grades 
of discipleship, report at intervals on the quality of their 
life service and assist them in building their buddhic 
vehicle which has to be in an embryonic condition when 
the first initiation is taken. The teachers likewise super- 
intend the working out in practice of the theories anent the 
other evolution, the deva evolution, laid down in the pre- 
paratory schools; they watch over the manipulation of 
matter by the pupil and his demonstration of the laws of 
construction; they safeguard him as far as may be in his 
contact with sub-human and super -human evolutions and 
teach him to wield the law, and to transcend karma. They 
enable him, through their instructions, to recover the 
knowledge of past lives and to read the akashic records, 
but as you will see, the pupil is the one in this school who 
initiates and does the work, superintended and guarded 
by the teachers, and his progress and the length of his 
residence within the school depend upon his own effort 
and initiatory powers. 

The rules of admission into the preparatory school 
will be somewhat as follows, but I only indicate prob- 
abilities and not ascertained and fixed facts: — 

1. The pupil must be free from obligatory karma 



316 FUTUBE SCHOOLS 

and able to take the course without neglecting his 
other duties and family ties. 

2. There will be no fees or money charged, and no 
money transaction. The pupil must be somewhat 
self-supporting and able to earn the means of 
livelihood whilst in the school. The schools in 
both their divisions will be supported through 
the voluntary contributions of people, and 
through a knowledge of the laws of supply and 
demand occultly interpreted. 

3. The pupil must be able to measure up to the aver- 
age educational standards of his day and genera- 
tion and must show aptitude for some line of 
thought. 

4. He must be seen clairvoyantly to have a certain 
amount of co-ordination and alignment and the 
causal body must be of a certain grade or quality 
before he is admitted. Teachers of occultism 
waste not time on those not ready. Only when 
the inner light shines forth, only when the causal 
body is of a certain capacity can the pupil profit 
by the curriculum. Therefore with the Head of 
the school will the final verdict lie as to whether a 
pupil may enter or not. That word will be final, 
and will be passed after due inspection of the 
pupil by the Head of the school through clair- 
voyant and causal vision, and after reference to 
the man's own Master. 

5. He must have demonstrated, by a previous period 
of service, his ability to work in group formation 
and to think in terms of others. 

6. His past incarnations must be somewhat looked 
up and the indications given through their study 
will guide the Head in his final decision. 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 317 

7. The pupil must be over 21 and under 42. 

8. His etheric body must be in good condition and be 
a good transmitter of prana, and there must be 
no physical disease or handicapping physical de- 
formity. 

These are the fundamental rules which it is at present 
possible to give. There will be others and the problem of 
selection may pass through some vicissitudes in solving. 

The rules for admission into the advanced school are 
far more esoteric and fewer in number. The pupils will 
be chosen from out of the preparatory school, after having 
passed through the graded courses. But selection will 
depend not on the mental development and the assimila- 
tion of concrete knowledge, but upon the inner comprehen- 
sion and the occult understanding of the student, upon 
the quality of the tone of his life as it sounds forth in the 
inner world, upon the brilliance of the indwelling light, 
and upon his power in service. 

This suffices for today; tomorrow we will deal with 
the final division of this third point, the buildings of the 
school. 

October 17th, 1920. 

In dealing today with the subject of the buildings of 
the two types of occult schools, little can be said and only 
a general outline can be given. Climatic conditions and 
the desired size of the schools will greatly vary and the 
consequent plant will vary likewise 

The buildings for the preparatory school will differ 
not so much from those of an ordinary college in the exo- 
teric world. One rule only will be laid down — each student 
must dwell within the school precincts, and each student 



318 FUTUKE SCHOOLS 

must of necessity have his own separated chamber. The 
type of building matters not, provided these conditions are 
fulfilled. Each room must be non-communicating, save 
with the central corridor, and must be in three divisions, 
necessarily small yet distinct. One division will be given 
up to the student's life and study ; another to the bath and 
the third will be the place for meditation containing the 
pictures of the Great Ones duly curtained. This third 
division is kept for the sole purpose of meditation and will 
contain little save the mat on which the student sits, a 
couch on which he will repose his physical vehicle during 
certain stated exercises and a small stool in front of the 
Master's pictures, on which will be found the incensor and 
a vase for floral tributes. 

The resident teachers will reside with the students, 
the women taking charge of the women students, and the 
men residing with the male students. The Head of the 
school will reside alone in a detached house which will 
contain — besides the rooms in which he will live his pri- 
vate life — a reception room of small proportions for his 
work with individuals, and a larger room for joint con- 
courses, besides a shrine room for the meeting of the united 
body of pupils. 

The buildings for the advanced schools, even though 
they concern us not intimately as yet, provide in their con- 
struction much of occult significance for those who have 
eyes to see. The main feature in the occult advanced 
school will be the central temple of circular shape provid- 
ing for each of the pupils (and you must remember that 
numerically they will not be large) a private shrine en- 
tered from the rear by a closed door and having a curtain 
between it and the large central shrine where the group 
meetings will be held. 

This large central shrine will have a pavement where- 



FUTUKE SCHOOLS 319 

on will be traced the triangle, and within the triangle the 
gronp will sit, the three spaces outside the triangle having 
tables whereon will be found various symbols and a few 
of the fundamental books on symbols and some large 
Xjarchments whereon the cosmic symbols will be portrayed. 




The color of this shrine will be dependent on the ray 
which it represents. The curtains which separate will be 
in the ray color also and each individual shrine curtain 
will carry the sign of the pupil's nativity — his sign, rising 
sign, and controlling planets. These curtains will be the 



320 FUTUEE SCHOOLS 

property of the pupil as will the mat within the shrine 
which will carry the symbol of his ray, egoic and person- 
ality. 

On the wall of the great circular passage will be found 
the signs of the zodiac, the four entrances standing for 
the four Maharajas. 

A square wall will surround the whole, enclosing a 
garden which will be the care of the pupils themselves. 
There will be but one entrance through this wall on the 
north side. Outside will be small buildings to house not 
more than three pupils and a house wherein will reside the 
three instructors. The Initiate Head will likewise have 
his private residence distinguished by a domed tower at 
one side. This domed tower serves two purposes: — It is 
the place for astronomical and astrological instruction and 
will have the latest appliances of science for the study of 
the planets and of microcosmic life, and will also serve as 
a secure shelter for those pupils who can consciously 
leave their physical bodies and function elsewhere on the 
physical plane. 

This is all I can give as yet. Eecord, watch and await 
the hour when the ideal will materialize. 

October 29th, 1920. 

Our fourth point comes up for consideration today, 
and in its discussion I will give you somewhat concerning 
the preparatory occult school but little concerning the 
advanced. This fourth point is one anent the grades and 
classes. 

The Grades and Classes. 

We have, in an earlier letter, touched upon the curri- 
culum of the preparatory schools and have seen that that 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 321 

curriculum deals much with the development of lower 
mind, with the laying of the foundations upon which to 
build the later work, and with the formulation, the study, 
and the memorising of the theories and occult laws upon 
which the true occultist will later base his practical work. 
We saw also that much that was taught was necessarily 
closely allied with the exoteric teaching of the world, and 
necessitated the school being in close touch with the 
centres of modern thought. Today I seek to point out 
certain things that will be seen in the scheme of the stu- 
dent's work and to show the method whereby he is gradual- 
ly led on until he is fit to pass on into the more advanced 
college. We will as usual divide our subject into three 
heads : — 

a. The times of study. 

b. The types of work. 

c. The transformation of potential faculty into ac- 
tive powers through practice. 

a. The times of study. 

All the work of the school will be based upon an occult 
knowledge of times and seasons, and two things will be 
carefully adhered to : — 1 ) The school year will be divided 
into two halves, one half wherein the pupils are strenuous- 
ly acquiring knowledge, that period being that in which 
the sun moves northward or the earlier half of the year, 
and a second half — separated from the earlier by an inter- 
val of six weeks — wherein he assimilates and puts into 
practice that which earlier was imparted. During the 
earlier months of the year he goes through a drastic sys- 
tem of reception, of learning, of hard study, of accumula- 
tion of facts and of concrete knowledge. He attends lee- 



322 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

tures, lie wades through many books, he studies in the lab- 
oratory and with the aid of the microscope and of the 
telescope he widens the range of his vision, and builds into 
his mental body a vast store of scientific data, 

During the six weeks' vacation he is recommended to 
rest entirely from all mental effort save that associated 
with the practice of the imparted occult meditation. He 
mentally follows the cycle and goes into pralaya tempo- 
rarily. At the end of six weeks he returns to his work with 
the object in view of systematising the mass of informa- 
tion, of perfecting his comprehension of the facts earlier 
studied, of practising that part of the occult lore permis- 
sible with the object in view of becoming proficient and to 
discover his weak points. He writes during the "dark 
period" of the year the themes and essays, the books and 
pamphlets that Avill embody the product of the assimilated 
information. The best of these books will be published 
yearly by the college for the use of the public. In this 
way he serves his time and generation and educates the 
race in the higher knowledge. 2) In exactly the same 
way his studies each month will be so arranged that the 
harder part (dealing with the higher mind) will be under- 
taken during the part of the month which is called the 
bright half, whilst the work of the dark half will be more 
given over to the things concerning lower mind and to an 
effort to hold the gain of the earlier weeks. Each day will 
be likewise divided into set times, the earlier hours being 
those in which the more abstract and occult data will be 
given, the latter part of the day being given over to a more 
practical type of work. 

The basis of all occult growth is meditation, or those 
periods of silent gestation in which the soul grows in the 
silence. Therefore, during the day there will be for every 
pupil in the school three periods of meditation — at sunrise, 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 323 

at midday, and at sunset. During the earlier part of the 
pupil's attendance at the school these periods will be for 
thirty minutes each. Later he will give one hour to the 
practice of occult meditation three times a day, and during 
his final year he will be expected to give five hours a day 
to meditation. When he can do this and get results he 
will be able to pass on into the advanced school. It is 
the great test and mark of readiness. 

The hours of the school will begin with sunrise and 
end with sunset. After the sun sets, and for one hour after 
each of the other two periods of meditation, the pupil is 
permitted to relax, take his meals and recreate himself. 
All pupils will be required to retire to rest at night by ten 
o'clock, after thirty minutes of careful revision of the day's 
work and the filling in of certain charts that go to the 
completion of his record. 

The length of a pupil's stay in the school depends 
entirely upon the progress made, the inner powers of as- 
similation and the outer life of service. It depends there- 
fore upon the point in evolution at which he enters the 
school. Those just entering the Path of Probation will 
be there for five to seven years and on occasion even 
longer; those who are old disciples and those who have 
taken initiation in earlier lives will be there but a brief 
time, pushing rapidly through the curriculum and simply 
learning to produce for use the knowledge earlier stored. 
The period of their stay will be anywhere from one to Ave 
years, usually about three. Their innate knowledge will 
be developed by encouraging them to teach the younger 
brethren. A pupil passes out of the school, not as a result 
of an exoteric examination but simply on the notification 
of the Head of the School, who bases his decision upon 
esoteric results in the bodies of the pupil, upon the clarity 



324 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

of his auric colors and upon the tone of his life and the 
key of his vibration. 

b. Types of Work, 

First and foremost the practice of meditation as laid 
down in these letters and as may be apportioned by the 
Head of the school. Once or twice a year the initiate Head 
of the school to which the preparatory school is allied 
will pass the pupils in review and in conference with the 
Head of the school will apportion specific meditation ad- 
justed to the pupil's need. Once a year the Master respon- 
sible for both schools will likewise pass them in review and 
communicate to the Head any necessary adjustments. (I 
would here remind you that the relationship of a Master 
to a disciple is a private one and though He may be in 
constant touch with His pupils privately, this affects not 
His official review of the united auras of the school group. ) 

Secondly a graded scientific study of the microcosm, 
including the following subjects, using the microscope 
when needed: — 

The Microcosm. 

a. Elementary anatomy, physiology, biology. 

b. Ethnology. 

c. Study of the etheric body and its allied subjects 
of vitality and magnetism. 

d. Study of geology, of the vegetable kingdom, or 
botany, and of the animal kingdom. 

e. Study of the history of man and the development 
of science. 

f. Study of the laws of the microcosmic body. 

The Macrocosm. 

a. Study of the laws of electricity, of fohat, of prana, 
and of the astral light. 



FUTURE SCHOOLS 325 

b. Study of astronomy and of astrology. 

c. Study of occult cosmogony. 

d. Study of the human hierarchy. 

e. Study of the deva evolution. 

f. Study of the laws of the solar system. 

g. Study of telepathy, mental creation, psychometry. 

The Mind. 

a. The study of the mental plane. 

b. The study of the laws of fire. 

c. The study of the causal body. 

d. The study of the fifth principle. 

e. The study of color and of sound. 

Synthesis 

a. The study of spirit-matter-mind. 

b. Study of numbers and of symbology. 

c. Study of higher mathematics. 

d. Study of the laws of union. 

e. Study of the laws of sex. 

Psychic Development 

a. Study of practical occultism. 

b. Study of psychism. 

c. — Study of the astral light and the akashic records. 

d. Study of mediumship and inspiration. 

e. Study of past lives. 

f. Study of the macrocosmic and microcosmic 
centres. 

Practical Work 

a. Service to the race. 

b. Study of group work. 

c. Review work. 

d. Work on the subtler bodies with the view to pro- 
ducing continuity of consciousness. 



326 FUTURE SCHOOLS 

e. Study of magic. 

f. Study of the seventh ray. 

You will see for yourself that when the pupil has com- 
pleted the above curriculum he will be a potential 
magician, and will be a member of the Brotherhood of 
Light in embryo. He will be equipped and ready to pass 
into the advanced school, where he will be trained in using 
the knowledge already acquired, where his centres will be 
scientifically developed so that he will become a conscious 
psychic of the mental type, where he will be trained to 
contact and control the lesser evolutions and to co-operate 
with the other evolutions such as the deva, and where all 
his bodies will be so aligned and adjusted that he can at 
the end of a period — varying from two to three years — be 
ready to stand before the Initiator. 

c. Potencies becoming powers. 

This third type of work is based on the preceding cur- 
riculum and deals directly with individual development. 
It covers the following matters : — 

a. The aligning of the bodies with a view to egoic 
content. 

b. The building of the antakarana, and the develop- 
ment of the higher mind. 

c. The development of the intuition, and the definite 
spiritual awakening of the pupil. 

d. The study of the pupil's vibration, ray, color and 
tone. 

e. The conscious refining of all the bodies beginning 
with the physical. 

When these matters are duly studied and all acquired 
knowledge put into practice, the inherent powers of the 
soul will become conscious powers. Above all, will the em- 



FUTUKE SCHOOLS 327 

phasis be laid upon the fact that the white magician is he 
who utilises all power and knowledge in the service of the 
race. His inner development must be expressed in terms 
of service before he is permitted to pass on into the ad- 
vanced school. 

I have indicated enough to provide much room for 
interested speculation. 



LETTER X. 
THE PURIFICATION OF THE VEHICLES 

a. The physical body. 

b. The emotional body. 

c. The mental body. 



328 



LETTER X. 
THE PURIFICATION OF THE VEHICLES 

November 7th, 1919. 



The need arises these days for tested instruments. 
When Those Who guide human evolution at this period 
cast Their eyes over the race in the search for such instru- 
ments They see few as yet ready for the service required. 
But likewise They see some who, with a certain amount of 
training will fill the need fairly adequately. 

As evolution proceeds the polarisation of the race 
changes. Men are polarised now principally in their emo- 
tional bodies, — the feelings, desires, the concerns of the 
personality sway them. The emotional body is the focal 
point for the personality. It acts as the clearing house 
for all that concerns it, and as the junction of the lower 
and the higher. It is like a busy railroad terminus, that 
receives cargo from all directions and empties it into the 
great city of the personal physical plane life. Then, as 
progress is made, the scene shifts higher, and the mental 
body becomes the focal point. Later the causal body be- 
comes the important unit, and later still comes the ulti- 
mate sacrifice of even that, until the man stands bereft of 
all that vibrates to the three worlds, and all is over as re- 
gards the personal life, — nought remains but the life of 
the Spirit, and the voluntary giving of that life for the 
helping of the world. 

In the speeding up of evolution, certain things have 
to be brought about before the man can be used as a re- 
liable instrument, true as tempered steel, for the helping of 
his race. Forget not, that, as a rule, a man (when tested 
and tried) forms the best tool, because he comprehends ut- 

329 



330 PUEIFICATION 

terry the race consciousness, and because he enters into 
the problems of the day in a manner more thorough than 
an Ego from an earlier period. Hence the Masters de- 
sire to use those of you who live now to heal the wounds 
of the present suffering generation. What then has to be 
done? The matter I now give contains nothing very un- 
usual, but it does hold thought for consideration by any 

who may desire to help In preparing a soul for 

service the Guides of the race have to deal with each of 

the bodies: — 

The training of the Physical Body. 

This involves certain definite requirements: — 
The building in of matter of the higher subplanes 
and the elimination of the lower and coarser matter. This 
is needed because it is impossible for those with coarse 
bodies to contact high vibration. It is impossible for the 
Ego to transmit the higher knowledge and guidance 
through a coarse physical body. It is impossible for 
the loftier currents of thought to impact the little evolved 
physical brain. Hence the refinement of the physical body 
is an essential. It is effected in various ways, all of them 
reasonable and utilitarian. 

By pure food. This involves a vegetarian diet, 
chosen with wise discrimination; it requires the 
eating of only those vegetables and fruits that 
vitalise. A careful judgment shown in the choice 
of food, a wise refrain from too heavy eating, and 
a little pure good food perfectly assimilated is all 
that a disciple requires. You ask what foods? 
Milk, honey, whole wheat bread, all the vegetables 
that contact the sun, oranges, ( above all oranges ) 
bananas, raisins, nuts, some potatoes, unpolished 
rice, and may I again re-iterate, just as much of 
all the above as to insure activity. 



PUKIFICATION 331 

By cleanliness. Much use of water, externally 
and internally, is vitally required. 
By sleep. This should be always between the 
hours of ten in the evening and five in the morn- 
ing, and as much as possible out of doors. 
By sunshine. Contact with the sun should be much 
sought after, and the vitalisation that comes 
through its rays. The sun kills all germs and 
frees from disease. 

When these four requirements are attended to ad- 
equately a definite process of elimination proceeds, and in 
the course of a few years the whole physical body shifts 
its polarisation gradually up until ultimately you will 

have a body composed of atomic subplane matter 

This may take several incarnations, but it should be borne 
in mind that at each fresh incarnation a body is taken of 
1he exact quality (if I may so put it) as the one previously 
discarded at death. Hence time is never lost in building. 
Eventually two other methods will be available by which 
more rapid refining may be effected : — 

The use of coloured lights. These lights are 
played on the body of the disciple and effect a 
shaking-out process and a simultaneous stimula- 
tion of the atoms. This cannot be done till further 
information is given anent the Eays; when a 
man's ray is known, stimulation will come from 
the use of his own colour, a building-in will be 
brought about by the use of his complementary 
colour, and disintegration of unwanted matter 
will be brought about by the use of an antagonistic 
colour. This knowledge will later on be communi- 
cated to the great bodies that hold custody of the 
Mysteries, the Church and the Masons. Wait, for 



332 PUBIFICATION 

the time is not yet. When the Mysteries are re- 
stored some of this information will be in the 
hands of the two bodies I refer to. 
The stimulation of music. Certain sounds shat- 
ter and break. Certain other sounds stimulate 
and attract. When the key of a man's life is 
known, when the sound he responds to is recog- 
nised then comes the possibility of the utilisation 
of sound in refinement. All that is at present pos- 
sible to those of you who seek to serve is to at- 
tend to the above essentials and to seek contact 
with high vibration. 
One more point I would like to give, and that is, that 
in the manipulation of electricity lies hid much that con- 
cerns the vivification of the bodies, especially just now of 
the etheric. The principal use the sun has is the vitalising 
of the etheric. The heat of the sun is electrical force 
adapted to the need of the great average majority in all 
the kingdoms of nature. As progress is made an intensi- 
fication of this force will be possible in individual cases. 
Herein lies one of the secrets of initiation. In the old 
days the Eod of Initiation acted actually as a conductor 
of this force to the centres of the initiate; it was so con- 
structed that it answered this purpose. Now, on a higher 
turn of the spiral, just the same need and purpose is 
served, though the method of application necessarily dif- 
fers, owing to the change in the polarisation of the race. 
The polarisation is now no longer physical, but is either 
emotional or mental. The method of application differs in 
all three, and hence the safeguarding of the secret. It 
holds the mystery hid. 
The refining of the etheric. 

This coincides with that of the physical body. The 
method consists principally of living in the sunlight, in 



PURIFICATION 333 

protection from cold, and in the assimilation of certain 
definite combinations of vitamines which before long will 
be given to the race. A combination of these vitamines 
will be formulated and made into tabloid form, with direct 
effect upon the etheric body. This will not be until that 
etheric vehicle is recognised by science, and definitely in- 
cluded in the training offered by the faculty of medicine. 
The study of etheric diseases — congestion and atrophy — 
will ere long be a recognised study, and will lead to defi- 
nite treatments and formulas. As before said, all that you 
can now do in sensitising the dual physical is to attend 
to the above rules, and allow time to bring about the re- 
mainder of the work. 

The refining of the emotional body. 

Here the method of procedure is different. The emo- 
tional body is simply a great reflector. It takes colour and 
movement from its surroundings. It receives the impress 
of every passing desire. It contacts every whim and fancy 
in its environment ; every current sets it in motion ; every 
sound causes it to vibrate unless the aspirant inhibits such 
a state of affairs and trains it to receive and register only 
those impressions which come from the intuitional level 
via the Higher Self, and therefore via the atomic subplane. 
The aim of the aspirant should be to so train the emotional 
body that it will become still and clear as a mirror, so 
that it may reflect perfectly. His aim should be to make 
it reflect only the causal body, to take on colour only in 
line with the great Law, and to move under definite direc- 
tion and not just as blow the winds of thought, or rise the 
tides of desire. What words should describe the emotional 
body? the words: still, serene, unruffled, quiet, at rest, 
limpid and clear, of a quality mirror-like, of surface even, 
a limpid reflector, — one that accurately transmits the 



334 PUKIFICATION 

wishes, the desires, the aspirations of the Ego and not of 
the personality. How should this be accomplished? In 
several ways, some at the direction of the aspirant, and 
some at the direction of the Master. 

a. By the constant watching of all desires, motives 
and wishes that cross the horizon daily, and by 
the subsequent emphasising of all those that are 
of a high order, and by the inhibition of the lower. 

b. By a constant daily attempt to contact the Higher 
Self, and to reflect His wishes in the life. At first 
mistakes will be made, but little by little the 
building-in process proceeds, and the polarisation 
in the emotional body gradually shifts up each 
subplane until the atomic is reached. 

c. By definite periods daily directed to the stilling 
of the emotional body. So much emphasis is laid 
in meditation on the stilling of the mind, but it 
should be remembered that the stilling of the emo- 
tional nature is a step preliminary to the quieting 
of the mental; one succeeds the other and it is 
wise to begin at the bottom of the ladder. Each 
aspirant must discover for himself wherein he 
yields most easily to violent vibrations, such as 
fear, worry, personality desire of any kind, per- 
sonality love of anything or anyone, discourage- 
ment, over-sensitiveness to public opinion; then 
he must overcome that vibration, by imposing on 
it a new rhythm, definitely eliminating and con- 
structing. 

d. By work done on the emotional body at night un- 
der the direction of more advanced egos, work- 
ing under the guidance of a Master. Stimulation 
of vibration or the deadening of vibration follows 
on the application of certain colours and sounds. 



PURIFICATION 335 

At this particular time two colours are being ap- 
plied to many people for the specific purpose of 
keying up the throat and foremost head centre, 
namely, violet and gold. 
Remember that the work is gradual, and as the polari- 
sation shifts up, the moment of transition from one sub- 
plane to another is marked by certain tests applied at 
night, what one might term a series of small initiations 
that eventually will be consummated in the second great 
Initiation, that marks the perfection of the control of the 
body of the emotions. 

Four small initiations find their culmination in the 
initiation proper. These are the initiations on the emo- 
tional plane, called respectively the initiations of earth, 
fire, water and air, culminating in initiation the second. 
The first initiation marks the same point of attainment on 
the physical plane. Each initiation marks the attainment 
of a certain proportion of atomic matter in the bodies. 
The four initiations, prior to that of the Adept, mark re- 
spectively the attainment of a proportionate amount, as 
for instance: — At the first initiation one-fourth atomic 
matter, at the second one-half atomic matter, and so on to 
the consummation. The intuition (or buddhi) being the 
unifying principle and thus welding all, at the fourth 
initiation the lower vehicles go, and the adept stands in 
his intuitional body, and creates from thence his body of 
manifestation. 
The refinement of the mental body. 

This is the result of hard work and discrimination. 
It necessitates three things before the plane of the mental 
unit is achieved, and before the causal consciousness (the 
full consciousness of the higher Self) is reached: — 

Clear thinking, not just on subjects wherein inter- 
est is aroused, but on all matters affecting the race. It 



336 PURIFICATION 

involves the formulation of thought matter, and the 
capacity to define. It means the ability to make thought 
forms out of thought matter, and to utilise those thought 
forms for the helping of the public. He who does not think 
clearly, and who has an inchoate mental body, lives in a 
fog, and a man in a fog is but a blind leader of the blind. 

The ability to still the mental body so that 
thoughts from abstract levels and from the intuitional 
planes can find a receptive sheet whereon they may in- 
scribe themselves. This thought has been made clear in 
many books on concentration and meditation, and needs 
not my elucidation. It is the result of hard practice car- 
ried over many years. 

A definite process brought about by the Master 
with the acquiescence of the disciple which welds into a 
permanent shape the hard won efforts and results of many 
years. At each initiation, the electrical or magnetic force 
applied has a stabilising effect. It renders durable the 
results achieved by the disciple. Like as a potter moulds 
and shapes the clay and then applies the fire that solidifies, 
so the aspirant shapes and moulds and builds, and pre- 
pares for the solidifying fire. Initiation marks a perman- 
ent attainment and the beginning of a new cycle of en- 
deavour. 

Above all two things should be emphasised : — 

1. A steady unshaken perseverance, that recks not 
of time nor hindrance, but goes on. This capacity to per- 
severe explains why the non-spectacular man so frequent- 
ly attains initiation before the genius, and before the 
man who attracts more notice. The capacity to plod is 
much to be desired. 

2. A progress that is made without undue self- 
analysis. Pull not yourselves up by the roots to see if 
there is growth. It takes precious time. Forget your own 



PURIFICATION 337 

progress in conforming to the rules and in the helping of 
others. When this is so, sudden illumination may come, 
and the realisation break upon you that the point has been 
reached when the Hierophant can demand your presence 
and bestow initiation upon you. You have, by hard work 
and sheer endeavour to conform to the Law and to love all, 
built into your bodies the material that makes it possible 
for you to stand in His Presence. The great Law of At- 
traction draws you to Him and nought can withstand the 
Law. 



LETTER XL 
THE RESULTANT LIFE OF SERVICE. 

a. Motives for service. 

b. Methods of service. 

c. Attitude following service. 



338 



LETTER XI. 
THE RESULTANT LIFE OF SERVICE. 

September 16th, 1919. 

I seek to give you today, in closing this series, some- 
thing of general use. I wish to speak to you anent service 
and its perfect rendering. What I give you in this con- 
nection may be of vital use. Remember always that ma- 
terial gain in knowledge for the individual causes stagna- 
tion, obstruction, indigestion, and pain if not passed on 
with wise discrimination. Food absorbed by the human 
body, if not assimilated and passed through the system, 
causes just the above conditions. The analogy is correct. 
Much tuition comes to many these days, but it is for the 
use of a needy world, and not for their own exclusive 
benefit. 

In rendering service three things are of moment : — 

1. The motive. 

2. The method. 

3. The attitude following action. 

With wrong motives and methods I deal not. To you 
they are known. I indicate the right, and by adjustment 
of the life of service to my indications comes correction 
and inspiration. A life of much service opens up to many 
these days; see, all of you, that it commences right. A 
right beginning is liable to eventuate in continuous cor- 
rectness, and helps much in the endeavour. Where failure 
follows in such a case, all that is needed is re-adjustment. 
In failure where the beginning has been at fault (an in- 
evitable failure) the need is for the renewal of the inner 
springs of action. 

339 



340 SERVICE 

1. The motives for service. 

These motives are three-fold in the order of their im- 
portance : — 

a. A realisation of God's plan of evolution, a sensing 
of the world's dire need, an apprehension of the immediate 
point of world attainment, and a consequent throwing of 
the total of one's resources into the furtherance of that 
end. 

b. A definite personal goal of achievement, some 
great ideal — such as holiness of character — that calls forth 
the soul's best endeavor; or a realisation of the reality of 
the Masters of the Wisdom, and a strong inner determina- 
tion to love, serve, and reach Them at all costs. When 
you have this intellectual grip of God's plan, coupled with 
the strong desire to serve the Great Ones, in physical plane 
activities will come the working out. 

c. A realisation next of one's innate or acquired 
capacities and a fitting of those capacities to the need ap- 
preciated. Service is of many kinds, and he who wisely 
renders it, who seeks to find his particular sphere, and 
who, finding it, gives effort gladly for the benefit of the 
whole, is the man whose own development proceeds steadi- 
ly. But nevertheless the aim of personal progress remains 
secondary. 

2. The methods of service. 

These are many and varied. I can but indicate the 
ones of paramount importance. 

First and foremost comes, as I have often incul- 
cated, the faculty of discrimination. He who considers 
that he can attempt all things, who balks not at aught 
that happens his way, who rushes wildly in where wiser 
ones refrain, who considers he has capacity for that which 
arises, who brings zeal but no brains to bear on this prob- 



SEKVICE 341 

lem of service, but dissipates force ; he renders oft destruc- 
tive action, he wastes the time of wiser and greater ones in 
the correcting of his well meant mistakes, and he serves no 
end but his own desires. The reward of good intention 
may be his, but it is frequently offset by the result of fool- 
ish action. He serves with discrimination who realises 
wisely his own niche, great or small, in the general 
scheme ; who calculates soberly his mental and intellectual 
capacity, his emotional calibre and his physical assets and 
then with the sum of the whole applies himself to fill the 
niche. 

He serves with discrimination who judges with the 
aim of his Higher Self and the Master what is the nature 
and the measure of the problem to be solved, and is not 
guided by the well meant though often ill-judged sugges- 
tions, requests and demands, of his fellow-servers. 

He serves with discrimination who brings a realisa- 
tion of time into action, and comprehending that each day 
contains but twenty-four hours and that his capacity con- 
tains but the expenditure of just so much force and no 
more, wisely adjusts his capacity and the time available 
to each other. 

Next follows a wise control of the physical vehicle. 
A good server causes the Master no anxiety from 
physical causes, and may be trusted so to guard and hus- 
band his physical strength that he is always available for 
the carrying out of the Master's requests. He does not 
fail from physical disability. He sees that his lower 
vehicle gets sufficient rest, and adequate sleep. He rises 
early and retires at a seemly hour. He relaxes whenever 
possible ; he eats wholesome and suitable food, and refrains 
from heavy eating. A little food, well-chosen and well 
masticated, is far better than a heavy meal. The human 
race eats these days as a rule four times as much as is 



342 SERVICE 

required. He ceases from work when (through accident 
or the recurrence of inherited physical disability) his body 
re-acts against action and cries out for attention. He then 
seeks rest, sleep, dietary precautions and necessary medical 
attention. He obeys all wise instruction, giving time for 
his recovery. 

The next step is a steady care and control of the 
emotional body. This is the most difficult of the vehicles 
to tend, as is well known. No excessive emotion is per- 
mitted, though strong currents of love for all that breathe 
are allowed to sweep through. Love, being the law of the 
system, is constructive and stabilising, and carries all on 
in line with the law. 3sTo fear or worry or care shake 
the emotional body of the aspiring servant of all. He cul- 
tivates serenity, stability, and a sense of secure depend- 
ence on God's law. A joyous confidence characterises his 
habitual attitude. He harbours no jealousy, no cloudy 
grey depression, and no greed or self-pity, but — realising 
that all men are brothers and that all that is exists for all 
— he proceeds calmly on his way. 

Then ensues the development of his mental vehicle. 
In the control of the emotional body the server takes 
the attitude of elimination. His aim is so to train 
the emotional body that it becomes devoid of colour, has a 
still vibration, and is clear and white, limpid as a pool 
on a still summer's day. In fitting the mental body for 
service the worker strives at the opposite of elimination; 
he seeks to build in information, to supply knowledge and 
facts, to train it intellectually and scientifically so that it 
may prove as time goes on a stable foundation for the 
divine wisdom. Wisdom supersedes knowledge yet re- 
quires knowledge as a preliminary step. You must re* 
member, that the server passes through the Hall of Learn- 
ing prior to entering the Hall of Wisdom. In training 



SERVICE 343 

the mind body he seeks therefore orderly acquisition of 
knowledge, a supply of that which may be lacking, a se- 
quential grasp of the innate mental faculty accumulated 
in previous lives, and lastly, a steadying of the lower mind 
so that the higher may dominate and the creative faculty 
of thought may be projected through the stillness. From 
the Silence of the Absolute was projected the universe. 
From darkness issued light, from the subjective emanated 
the objective. The negative stillness of the emotional 
body makes it receptive to impression from above. The 
positive stillness of the mental body leads to the higher 
inspiration. 

Having sought to control and wisely use his person- 
ality in its three departments, the lover of humanity 
seeks perfection in action. No magnificent dreams of 
martyrdom and the glorious yet ephemeral chimeras of 
spectacular service engross his attention, but the instant 
application of all his powers to the next duty is the line of 
his endeavor. He knows that perfection in the foreground 
of his life and in the details of his environing work, will 
cause accuracy in the background too, and result in a 
whole picture of rare beauty. Life progresses by small 
steps, but each step, taken at the right time and each mo- 
ment wisely occupied, leads to long distance covered and 
a life well spent. Those Who guide the human family test 
out all applicants for service in the small detail of every 
day life, and he who shews a record of faithful action in 
the apparently non-essential will be moved into a sphere 
of greater moment. How, in an emergency or crisis, can 
They depend on someone who in every day matters does 
slovenly and ill-judged work? 

A further method of service shews itself in 
adaptability. This involves a readyness to retire when 
other or more important people are sent to fill the niche 



344 SEEVICE 

lie may be occupying, or (inversely) an ability to step out 
of office into work of greater importance, when some less 
competent worker can do bis work with equal facility and 
good judgment. It is tbe part of wisdom in all who serve 
neither to rate themselves too highly nor to underrate 
themselves. Bad work results when the non-efficient fill a 
post, but it is equally a loss of time and power when 
skilled workers hold positions where their skill has not 
full scope and where less well-equipped men and women 
would do as well. Be ready, therefore, all ye who serve, 
to stay a lifetime in office non-spectacular and seemingly 
unimportant, for such may be your destiny and the place 
you best may serve; but be equally ready to step on to 
work of more apparent value when the Master's word goes 
forth, and when circumstances — and not the server's plan- 
ning — indicate that the time is come. Ponder this last 
sentence. 

3. The attitude following action. 

What should this attitude be? Utter dispassion, utter 
self-forgetfulness, and utter occupation with the next step 
to be taken. The perfect server is he who does to the ut- 
most of his ability what he believes to be the Master's will, 
and the work to be done by him in co-operation with God's 
plan. Then, having done his part, he passes on to a con- 
tinuance of the work, and cares not for the result of his ac- 
tion. He knows that wiser eyes than his see the end from 
the beginning; that insight, deeper and more loving than 
his, is weighing up the fruit of his service ; and that judg- 
ment, more profound than his, is testing the force and ex- 
tent of the vibration set up, and is adjusting that force 
according to the motive. He does not suffer from pride 
over what he has done, nor from undue depression over 
lack of accomplishment. At all times he does his very 



SERVICE 345 

best, and wastes not time in backward contemplation, 
but steadily presses forward to the accomplishment of the 
next duty. Brooding over past deeds, and casting the 
mind back over old achievement, is in the nature of in- 
volution, and the servant seeks to work with the law of 
evolution. This is an important thing to note. The wise 
server, after action, pays no attention to what his fellow 
servants say, provided his superiors (either incarnating 
men and women, or the Great Ones Themselves ) prove con- 
tent or silent ; he cares not if the result is not that which 
he anticipated, provided that he faithfully did the highest 
thing he knew ; he cares not if reproach and reproof assail 
him, provided his inner self remains calm and non-accus- 
ing ; he cares not if he loses friends, relatives, children, the 
popularity once enjoyed, and the approbation of his en- 
vironing associates, provided his inner sense of contact 
with Those Who guide and lead remains unbroken; he 
cares not if he seem to work in the dark and is conscious 
of little result from his labours, provided the inner light 
increases and his conscience has nought to say. 

To sum it all up: — 

The motive may be epitomised in these few words : — 
The sacrifice of the personal self for the good of the One 
Self. 

The method may also be shortly put: — Wise control 
of the personality, and discrimination in work and time. 

The resultant attitude will be: — Complete dispas- 
sion, and a growing love of the unseen and the real. 

All this will be consummated through steady appli- 
cation to occult Meditation. 



FINIS 



GLOSSARY 

Adept. A Master, or human being who, having traversed 
the path of evolution and entered upon the final 
stage of that path, the Path of Initiation, has taken 
five of the Initiations, and has therefore passed into 
the Fifth, or Spiritual kingdom, having but two more 
Initiations to take. 

Adi. The First; the primeval; the atomic plane of the 
solar system ; the highest of the seven planes. 

Agni. The Lord of Fire in the Vedas. The oldest and 
most revered of the Gods in India. One of the three 
great deities Agni, Vayu and Surya, and also all the 
three, as he is the triple aspect of fire ; fire is the es- 
sence of the solar system. The Bible says : "Our God 
is a consuming fire." It is also the symbol of the 
mental plane of which Agni is paramountry lord. 

Agnichaitans. A group of fire devas. 

Atlantis. The continent that was submerged in the At- 
lantic and Pacific oceans, according to the occult 
teaching and Plato. Atlantis was the home of the 
Fourth Root Race, whom we now call the Atlanteans. 

Antakarana. (or Antaskarana) . The path, or bridge, be- 
tween higher and lower mind, serving as a medium 
of communication between the two. It is built by the 
aspirant himself in mental matter. 

Ashram. The centre to which the Master gathers the dis- 
ciples and aspirants for personal instruction. 

Atma. The Universal Spirit; the divine Monad; the 
seventh Principle; so-called in the septenary consti- 
tution of man. ( See diagram in Introduction. ) 

347 



348 GLOSSARY 

Atomic sub-plane. The matter of the solar system is 
divided by the occultists into seven planes or states, 
the highest of which is the atomic plane. Similarly, 
each of the seven planes is divided into seven sub- 
planes, of which the highest is called the atomic sub- 
plane. . There are therefore forty-nine sub-planes, 
and seven of these are atomic. 

Aura. A subtle invisible essence or fluid which emanates 
from human and animal bodies, and even from things. 
It is a psychic effluvium, partaking of both mind 
and body. It is electro-vital, and also electro- 
mental. 

Auric egg. An appellation that has been given to the 
causal body owing to its form. 

Boddhisattva. Literally, he whose consciousness has be- 
come intelligence, or buddhi. Those who need but 
one more incarnation to become perfect buddhas. 
As used in these letters the Boddhisattva is the name 
of the office which is at present occupied by the Lord 
Maitreya, Who is known in the Occident as the Christ. 
This office might be translated as that of World 
Teacher. The Boddhisattva is the Head of all the 
religions of the world, and the Master of the Masters 
and of the angels. 

Buddha (The). The name given to Gautama. Born in 
India about B.C. 621 he become a full buddha in B.C. 
592. The Buddha is one who is the "Enlightened", 
and has attained the highest degree of knowledge 
possible for man in this solar system. 

Buddhi. The Universal Soul or Mind. It is the spiritual 
soul in man (the Sixth Principle) and therefore the 
vehicle of Atma, the Spirit, which is the Seventh 
Principle. 



GLOSSARY 349 

Causal Body. This body is, from the standpoint of the 
physical plane, no body, either subjective or objec- 
tive. It is, nevertheless, the centre of the egoic con- 
sciousness, and is formed of the conjunction of 
buddhi and manas. It is relatively permanent and 
lasts throughout the long cycle of incarnations, and 
is only dissipated after the fourth initiation, when 
the need for further rebirth on the part of a human 
being no longer exists. 

Chohan. Lord, Master, a Chief. In this book it refers 
to those Adepts who have gone on and taken the 
sixth initiation. 

Deva, (or Angel). A god. In Sanskrit a resplendent 
deity. A Deva is a celestial being, whether good, 
bad, or indifferent. Devas are divided into many 
groups, and are called not only angels and arch- 
angels, but lesser and greater builders. 

Egoic Groups. On the third sub-plane of the fifth plane, 
the mental, are found the causal bodies of the in- 
dividual men and women. These bodies, which are 
the expression of the Ego, or of the individualised 
self -consciousness, are gathered together into groups 
according to the ray or quality of the particular Ego 
involved. 

Elementals. The Spirits of the Elements; the creatures 
involved in the four kingdoms, or elements, Earth, 
Air, Fire, and Water. Except a few of the higher 
kinds and their rulers they are forces of nature more 
than ethereal men and women. 

Etheric body. (Etheric double.) The physical body of 
a human being is, according to occult teaching, 
formed of two parts, the dense physical body, and 



350 GLOSSABY 

the etheric body. The dense physical body is formed 
of matter of the three lowest sub-planes of the physi- 
cal plane. The etheric body is formed of the four 
highest or etheric sub-planes of the physical plane. 

Fifth Principle. The principle of mind; that faculty in 
man which is the intelligent thinking principle, and 
which differentiates man from the animals. 

Fohat. Cosmic electricity; primordial light; the ever- 
present electrical energy; the universal propelling 
vital force; the ceaseless destructive and formative 
power; the synthesis of the many forms of electrical 
phenomena. 

Guru. Spiritual Teacher. A Master in metaphysical 
and ethical doctrines. 

Hierarchy. That group of spiritual beings on the inner 
planes of the solar system who are the intelligent 
forces of nature, and who control the evolutionary 
processes. They are themselves divided into twelve 
Hierarchies. Within our planetary scheme, the 
earth scheme, there is a reflection of this Hierarchy 
which is called by the occultist the Occult Hierarchy. 
This Hierarchy is formed of chohans, adepts, and 
initiates working through their disciples, and, by this 
means, in the world. ( See diagram in Letter VIII. ) 

Initiation. From the Latin root meaning the first prin- 
ciples of any science. One who is penetrating into 
the mysteries of the science of the Self and of the one 
self in all selves. The Path of Initiation is the final 
stage of the path of evolution trodden by man, and 
is divided into five stages, called the Five Initiations. 

Kali yuga. "Yuga" is an age or cycle. According to the 
Indian philosophy our evolution is divided into four 
yugas or cycles. The Kali-yuga is the present age. 
It means the "Black Age", a period of 432,000 years. 



GLOSSARY 351 

Karma. Physical action. Metaphysically, the law of re- 
tribution ; the law of cause and effect, or ethical caus- 
ation. There is the karma of merit and the karma 
of demerit. It is the power that controls all things, 
the resultant of moral action, or the moral effect of 
an act committed for the attainment of something 
which gratifies a personal desire. 

Kumara. The seven highest self-conscious beings in the 
solar system. These seven Kumaras manifest 
through the medium of a planetary scheme in the 
same way as a human being manifests through the 
medium of a physical body. They are called by the 
Hindu "the mind-born sons of Brahma" amongst 
other names. They are the sum-total of intelligence 
and of wisdom. Within the planetary scheme the re- 
flection of the systemic order is also seen. At the 
head of our world evolution stands the first Kumara, 
aided by six other Kumaras, three exoteric and three 
esoteric, who are the focal points for the distribution 
of the force of the systemic Kumaras. 

Kundalini. The power of Life: one of the forces of na- 
ture. It is a power known only to those who practise 
concentration in yoga, and is centred within the 
spine. 

Lemuria. A modern term first used by some naturalists 
and now adopted by Theosophists to indicate a con- 
tinent that, according to the Secret Doctrine of the 
East, preceded Atlantis. It was the home of the 
third root race. 

Logos. The deity manifested through every nation and 
people. The outward expression, or the effect of the 
cause which is ever concealed. Thus, speech is the 
Logos of thought, hence it is aptly translated by the 



352 GLOSSAKY 

"verbum" and the "word" in its metaphysical sense. 
(See John 1.1-3.) 

Lord of Civilisation. (See Mahachohan). 

Lords of the Flame. One of the great Hierarchies of 
spiritual beings who guide the solar system. They 
took control of the evolution of humanity upon this 
planet about 18 million years ago, during the middle 
of the Lemurian, or third root race. 

Macrocosm. The great universe, literally; or God mani- 
festing through His body, the solar system. 

Mahachohan. The Head of the third great department of 
the Hierarchy. This great being is the Lord of Civ- 
ilisation, and the flowering forth of the principle of 
intelligence. He is the embodiment on the planet of 
the third, or intelligence aspect of deity in its fifth 
activity. 

Mahamanvantra. The great interludes of time between 
two solar systems. This term is frequently applied 
to the greater solar cycles. It implies a period of uni- 
versal activity. 

Manas, or Manasic Principle. Literally, the Mind, the 
mental faculty; that which distinguishes man from 
the mere animal. It is the individualising principle ; 
that which enables man to know that he exists, feels, 
and knows. It is divided in some schools into two 
parts, higher or abstract mind, and lower or con- 
crete mind. 

Mantrams. Verses from the Vedas. In the exoteric 
sense a mantram, (or that psychic faculty or power 
that conveys perception or thought) is the older por- 
tion of the Vedas, the second part of which is com- 
posed of the Brahmanas. In esoteric phraseology 
mantram is the word made flesh, or rendered objec- 
tive through divine magic. A form of words or 



GLOSSARY 353 

syllables rhythmically arranged, so that when sound- 
ed certain vibrations are generated. 

Manu. The representative name of the great Being Who 
is the Ruler, primal progenitor and chief of the hu- 
man race. It comes from the Sanskrit root "man" — 
to think. 

Manvantara. A period of activity as opposed to a period 
of rest, without reference to any specific length of 
cycle. Frequently used to express a period of 
planetary activity and its seven races. 

Mayavi Rupa. Sanskrit, "Illusive Form." It is the body 
of manifestation created by the adept by an act of 
will for use in the three worlds. It has no material 
connection with the physical body. It is spiritual 
and etherial and passes everywhere without let or 
hindrance. It is built by the power of the lower 
mind, of the highest type of astral matter. 

Microcosm. The little universe, or man manifesting 
through his body, the physical body. 

Monad. The One. The three-fold spirit on its own plane. 
In occultism it often means the unified triad — Atma, 
Buddhi, Manas, Spiritual Will, Intuition and Higher 
mind, — or the immortal part of man which rein- 
carnates in the lower kingdoms and gradually 
progresses through them to man and thence to the 
final goal. 

Nirmanakaya. Those perfected beings who renounce 
Mrvana (the highest state of spiritual bliss) and 
choose a life of self-sacrifice, becoming members of 
that invisible host which ever protects humanity 
within karmic limits. 

Permanent atom. Those five atoms, with the mental unit, 
one on each of the five planes of human evolution 
(the mental unit being also on the mental plane) 



354 GLOSSAKY 

which the monad appropriates for purposes of mani- 
festation. They form a stable centre and are rel- 
atively permanent. Around them the various 
sheaths or bodies are built. They are literally small 
force centres. 

Planetary Logos. This term is generally applied to the 
seven highest spirits corresponding to the seven arch- 
angels of the Christian. They have all passed through 
the human stage and are now manifesting through a 
planet and its evolutions, in the same way that man 
manifests through his physical body. The highest 
planetary spirit working through any particular 
globe is, in reality, the personal God of the planet. 

Prakriti. Derives its name from its function as the mate- 
rial cause of the first evolution of the universe. It 
may be said to be composed of two roots, "pra" to 
manifest, and "krita" to make; meaning, that which 
caused the universe to manifest itself. 

Prana. The Life Principle, the breath of Life. The oc- 
cultist believes the following statement: "Life we 
look upon as the one form of existence, manifesting 
in what is called matter, or what, incorrectly sepa- 
rating them, we name Spirit, Soul, and Matter in 
man. Matter is the vehicle for the manifestation of 
God on this plane of existence; soul is the vehicle 
for the manifestation of spirit, and these three as a 
trinity are synthesised by Life, which pervades them 
all." 

Purusha. The spiritual self. The embodied self. The 
word literally means "The dweller in the city" — that 
is, in the body. It is derived from the Sanskrit 
"pura" which means city or body, and "usha" a 
derivative of the verb "vas", to dwell. 

Quarternary. The four-fold lower self, or man, in the three 



GLOSSARY 355 

worlds. There are various divisions of this, but per- 
haps for our purpose the best is to enumerate the 
four as follows : 

1. Lower mind. 

2. Emotional or karmic body. 

3. Prana, or the Life Principle. 

4. The etheric body, or the highest division of the 
two-fold physical body. 

Raja Lord. The word "Raja" simply means King or 
Prince; the word has been applied to those great 
angels or entities who ensoul the seven planes. These 
are great devas who are the sum total and the con- 
trolling intelligence of a plane. 

Raja Yoga. The true system of developing psychic and 
spiritual powers and union with one's higher self or 
the Ego. It involves the exercise, regulation, and 
concentration of thought. 

Ray. One of the seven streams of force of the Logos ; the 
seven great lights. Each of them is the embodiment 
of a great cosmic entity. The seven Kays can be 
divided into the three Rays of Aspect and the four 
Rays of Attributes, as follows : 
Rays of Aspect 

1. The Ray of Will, or Power. 

2. The Ray of Love- Wisdom. 

3. The Ray of Activity or Adaptibility. 

Rays of Attribute 

4. The Ray of Harmony, Beauty, Art, or Unity. 

5. The Ray of concrete knowledge or Science. 

6. The Ray of abstract idealism or devotion. 

7. The Ray of Ceremonial Magic, or Law. 

The above names are simply some chosen from 
among many, and embody the different aspects of 
force by means of which the Logos manifests. 



356 GLOSSAKY 

Ring-pass-not. This is at the circumference of the mani- 
fested solar system, and is the periphery of the in- 
fluence of the sun, both esoterically and exoterically 
understood. The limit of the field of activity of the 
central life force. 

Root Race. One of the seven races of man which evolve up- 
on a planet during the great cycle of planetary exist- 
ence. This cycle is called a world period. The 
Aryan root race, to which the Hindu, European, and 
modern American races belong, is the fifth, the 
Chinese and Japanese belonging to the fourth race. 

Sensa, or Senzar. The name for the secret sacerdotal 
language, or the "mystery speech" of the initiated 
adepts all over the world. It is a universal language, 
and largely a hieroglyphic cypher. 

Shamballa. The City of the Gods, which is in the West 
to some nations, in the East to others, in the North 
or South to yet others. It is the sacred island in the 
Gobi Desert. It is the home of mysticism and the 
Secret Doctrine. 

Triad. The Spiritual Man ; the expression of the monad. 
It is the germinal spirit containing the potentialities 
of divinity. These potentialities will be unfolded 
during the course of evolution. This Triad forms the 
individualised or separated self, or Ego. 

Yiveha. The Sanskrit "discrimination". The very first 
step in the path of occultism is the discrimina- 
tion between the real and the unreal, between sub- 
stance and phenomenon, between the Self and the 
Not-self, between spirit and matter. 

Wesak. A festival which takes place in the Himalayas 
at the full moon of May. It is said that at this 
festival, at which all the members of the Hierarchy 



GLOSSARY 357 

are present, the Buddha, for a brief period, renews 
his touch and association with the work of our 
planet. 
Yoga. 1. One of the six schools of India, said to be 
founded by Pantanjali, but really of much earlier 
origin. 2. The practice of Meditation as a means 
of leading to spiritual liberation. 



Note: This glossary does not undertake to fully explain 
all the above terms. It is simply an attempt to 
render into English certain words used in these Let- 
ters, so that the reader may understand their con- 
notation. The majority of the definitions have been 
culled from the Theosophical Glossary, the Secret 
Doctrine, and the Voice of the Silence. 






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